


Blue, White and Fire Red

by Twaste



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston
Genre: Aged Up, Azula is kinda redeemed, Enemies to Lovers, Lee from the tea shop will be invloved, Lu Ten is alive thanks to plot convience and no war and my magical bs, M/M, Never mind there’s going to be a lot more angst than I thought, Ozai is an asshole, Pining Sokka, Pining Zuko, Red White and Royal Blue AU, There’s some tense politics but no war, aang is somehow in the same period as Sokka cuz of my magical bs, canon went a bit out the window, enemies to reluctant friends to lovers, implied sex, mentions of abuse, nothing graphic though, so will the Blue Spirt, some side Kataang, southern water tribe is way bigger than canon, there is a little bit of angst, there is some politics as a sub plot, theres some homophobia, theyre somehwere in their 20s, war never happened, zukka is endgame
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25592794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twaste/pseuds/Twaste
Summary: Sokka considered Prince Zuko of the fire nation his arch nemesis. With their parents being large political figures it was bound to happen. When a confrontation at a Fire Nation royal wedding goes south, Sokka will be forced to befriend Zuko and act like they’re best friends for the public. Will they stay arch nemesis or will it evolve into something more.Red White and Royal Blue AU, you don’t need to read the book to read this.
Relationships: Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 36
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1: The one where they smash things

Sokka didn’t want to attend the royal wedding of Prince Lu Ten in the Fire Nation, but here he was arguing with his sister about it. 

“It won’t even be that exciting Katara! Just a bunch of posh idiots who think they’re better than everyone.” Sokka grumbled while looking for his clean wraps, "They even bought a 3000 gold coin cake for the wedding, who even does that?”

“You’re going to have to go, we were invited as ‘The children of The Cheif of the Southern Water Tribe’.” She said with air quotations at the fancy name, "it would be disrespectful, besides you just don’t want to see your arch-nemesis.” Her accusing tone was obvious in the last part. Sokka scoffed and shoved his good robes into a bag.

  
“Calling him my arch-nemesis is implying that he is on the same level as me. I have way more personality than that posh asshole. He is but a dry prince and, I carry the burden of having the most intelligence and personality." Sokka claimed, arms waving around. Suddenly he heard a faint splashing before getting drenched in water.

  
“Hey!” Katara just smirked at him.

  
“Just put on a nice smile and don’t cause any incidents. You don’t have to like him. Just do not screw with the wedding.” She punched his arm and started to head out, “we don’t want any international incidents this close to re-elections.”

  
Sokka grumbled to himself as he finished packing. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was nothing but a dry lump of coal and cousin to the groom. Sure he could fire bend but, that was the warmest part of his personality. Still, the nations compared the two as both were the sons of two national leaders. Sokka hated the comparison, Zuko was Mr. broody. He always wore the same expression for the camera. Somehow the nations liked him and thought he was charming. Either way, Sokka wouldn’t be able to get out of the wedding. The election of the Cheif of the Southern Water Tribe was coming up soon anyway and Sokka didn’t want his dad to lose. Not going would cause the tribe to question foreign relations which were already tense. Sokka sighed and tied his travel bag shut, it was going to be a long week.  
—————————————————  
The ride to the Fire Nation took a few days on Appa’s back, Aang had tagged along as Katara's date and brought Appa instead of sitting on a boat for weeks. With Aang being the avatar and Katara and himself being the children of a water tribe leader they found themselves often in each other's circles and a friendship was born. It was well known of the three's friendship and blew up even more when Aang and Katara started dating. Sokka found himself as a third wheel sometimes.

  
“Look here apparently Sokka is dating the Earth bending heiress Toph BeFong,” Aang snorted and showed him an article in a magazine he was looking at. “Apparently there is evidence of you two being close when hanging out with us in Omashu a few weeks ago.”

  
“That’s ridiculous, Toph is like a sister to me,” Sokka snorted and grabbed the magazine,” Besides Toph is busy and, her parents are still a bit overprotective of her.” Toph had joined the friend group after a wild weekend in Ba Sing Se which, resulted in all of them being banned from the Ba Sing Se grand theater. Toph was going to be at the wedding too, he was glad he could catch up with her. Sokka flipped through a couple pages before landing on an Article about Prince Zuko.  
“Check it out, Zuko is rumored to be seeing a girl named Mai. As if the jerk bender himself could muster up any emotions,” He laughed and caught the snickers from Katara and Aang. Sokka brushed them aside.

  
“Do you think tabloids have anything better to do than try to figure out our dating lives?” Katara joked and stole the magazine back. Aang shook his head.

  
“Probably not, as if anything else could be as exciting as picking apart college kids dating life,” Aang said dramatically and burst out laughing. Katara and Sokka joined in imaging the idiocy of it all.

“This just in Cheif daughter Katara of the Watertribe is rumored to be in a relationship with Princess Azula as they were seen in the same building.” Sokka mimicked a reporter's voice and pretended to sound amazed.

“Will it last? Who knows but don’t they look cute together!” Katara added in between laughs. Aang tried to stop his laughter before adding on.

  
“Looks like Prince Zuko is dating his arch-nemesis, Sokka of the Watertribe!” Aang burst into more laughter as red bloomed into Sokka’s cheeks. Sokka felt betrayed.

  
“I would never date my arch nemesis!” Sokka exclaimed and crossed his arms.

  
“Then why are you blushing?” Katara asked innocently still giggling. Sokka felt his face heat up more.

  
“This is clearly anger! I would never get in a relationship with Prince Coal ass no matter what you paid me!” Sokka fumed and shoved Katara. Katara fell over on her side and continued laughing with Aang. Sokka couldn’t believe the audacity, Zuko was his enemy and you don’t befriend enemies.  
__________________________  
The reception wasn’t that interesting. Classic fire nation style and Sokka may have stopped paying attention 1/4 of the way in. Zuko and his stupid face were up at the front as a groomsman. He kept his stupidly interested expression through the entire thing. After a couple hours, finale words were spoken and the guest were ushered into a hall for the party.  
Sokka, Aang, and Katara met up with Toph, who looked a little weird in formal clothing. It was a stark difference to her usual free moving clothes. They spent some time catching up with her and making jokes about the decor. Eventfully Katara and Aang made their way to the dance floor to have some couples time. Sokka flagged down a waiter for some more wine and thanked him. 

  
“Great party huh?” Sokka said and took a swig of wine, Toph smirked.

  
“Ahh yes, what a delightful sight,” Toph joked in a posh tone. Sokka snorted and downed the rest of the glass. 

  
“Can you believe the cake they got for this? It cost 3000 gold pieces!” Sokka commented looking at the cake next to the food table. It looked nice enough but overdone.  
“That’s royalty for you, spend a ton of money on a cake but can’t spend anything for decent music,” Toph huffed. The Music was plain and exciting enough but, Sokka had to agree with Toph.  
He talked with Toph for a bit before drunkenly dragged her onto the dance floor. Sokka was a little tipsy but, he wouldn’t call himself flat out drunk. He wiggled to the beat with Toph dramatically as possible. Laughter filled the hall along with the banging of feet. Sokka wouldn’t admit he was actually having fun. He slowly made his way to the side to catch his breath. The buffet-style table was next to him reminding him to eat. Sokka grabbed a plate and piled some roasted sheep-cow and started to head to his seat. He stopped at the sight of Prince Zuko standing at the end with a stupid half-interested look on his face. Sokka wanted to wipe it off.

  
Sokka didn’t know why but the stupid look infuriated him, maybe because it was always there on his face. He first saw Prince Zuko in a magazine cut out poster. He was 14 when Katara had bought it to see what was going on in the Fire Nation. Zuko had smiled at the cameras with easy confidence and only seeming half interested. His scar on his face made him look older but somehow didn’t make him look intimidating. Sokka didn’t know why but, he kept on coming back to that picture. Sometimes he would sneak into his sister's room and stare at the picture, trying to burn holes into it with his eyes. Sokka had decided that Zuko was a nice guy based on the article. His first meeting with Zuko had ruined whatever picture he had made in his head of him. He was rude and dismissed him, telling the guard to take him away. Sokka never knew why he singled him out like that. He seemed nice enough to everyone else and, it pissed him off. Sokka walked up to Prince Zuko, hoping to get something out of him. Maybe get him to flare up a little.

  
“You guys should have endless roasted sheep-cow. It would be embarrassing if you didn’t.” Sokka declared and waved around his full plate. Zuko simply smiled half interested.

  
“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.” Sokka wanted to get rid of that stupid look.

“Do you ever get tired of this?” Sokka asked.

  
“Tired of what?”

  
“Thinking you’re above this all. You just parade around for the cameras with a look on your face that says you have somewhere better to be.” Zuko's turned towards him with a slight frown.

  
“It’s a bit more difficult than that.” Sokka snorted as if anything was difficult for Mr. Perfect.

  
“You’re drunk,” Zuko stated and looked him up and down. Sokka shrugged and put an arm over his shoulder to feign friendliness.

  
“I’m just saying maybe you should try to enjoy things once in a while. Let your face experience more than one emotion,” Sokka smirked and wobbled a bit. He could feel the fire bender’s body temperature rising.

  
“Maybe you should switch to water,” Zuko said flatly. Sokka pulled his arm off Zuko's shoulder and raised his hands in self-defense.

  
“Should I?" Sokka tried to morph his face into a picture of pure innocence. "Am I offending you? Sorry, I am not obsessed with you like everyone else. I have much better things to do with my time.” Sokka’s face fell a little as Zuko’s frowned turned upwards into a smug smile.

  
“I think you are obsessed with me,” Zuko says with a stupid smug look on his face. Sokka felt his jaw drop at the accusation.

  
“Just a thought,” Zuko said in a politely mocking tone.

  
"Who always approaches me first? I have kept myself civil yet, you always come to me first. Now here you are, approaching me first again.” Zuko stole a piece of food off of Sokka’s plate and gave him a small shrug.

  
“I am not...” Sokka sputters. "You’re the one..."

  
“Enjoy the party Sokka.” Zuko gives him a polite smile before turning around to walk away. He grabs the back of Zuko’s robes, refusing to let him have the last word. He can feel the heat before Zuko turns around and pushes his arm off. For a second, it looks as if Zuko has a personality. Sokka stumbles back on his own feet and grabs the nearest thing to balance him, which happens to be Zuko. Instead of balancing him out, Zuko loses his balance at the sudden weight shift and falls with him. Sokka feels hit the table before the floor. He attempts to look up before his head is knocked down my Zuko. Sokka groans and turns his head to see if he hit anything important. His jaw drops for the second time that evening. The grand, expensive cake is swaying from side to side, threatening to fall. Sokka watches in horror as it falls to the floor. Cake goes flying everywhere. He faintly hears the flash of cameras and tries to get up only to be stopped by Zuko, who was still on top of him.

“Oh, shit.”


	2. Two sides meet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one isnt full of as much plot as I intended.

“Sokka, you had one job.” Hakoda pointed out later in his office. 

After the cake fell, Sokka was rushed home along with Aang and Katara. Sokka was lucky that it was late when they arrived at home and got to sleep instead of confronting his father. It was a good sleep considering the events before. Although all good things end and after waking up, Sokka was immediately told to see his father. He trudged along to his office, waiting to be scolded.

“I asked you not to cause an international incident, and what did you do?” Sokka pretended to look out the window. “You cause an international incident.” Hakoda looked mildly disappointed at him and shook his head.

“Although, it would have been great to see Ozai’s face at his grand cake on the floor.” He let out a chuckle and patted Sokka on the back.

“It was pretty great. I might have actually seen some personality in the royals.” Sokka cracked a grin, his dad never would be too harsh on him. Tension left his shoulders as the gloomy mood turned a bit more bright. He heard fabric behind him ruffle and turned around to see Katara and Aang with an armful of magazines.

“It's everywhere, Cheif son Sokka knocks over 3000 gold piece cake during the wedding of Prince Lu Ten.” Katara read off the magazine and showed him the front page picture. He was on the floor with Zuko on top and smashed cake beside them. Both of them were covered in buttercream and red-faced.

“Sokka and Price Zuko, enemies?” Aang read, “there's an entire expert on if relations between the fire nation and water tribe are tense and what it could mean.” Sokka grabbed the article and skimmed through it, it was worse than he thought. Both tribes were worried about any trade and the possibility of fighting between the two nations. 

"You two kinda threw oil on a small fire," Katara added.  
“How do we fix this?” Sokka asked, looking up from the article. Hakoda smiled and handed him a large envelope with a Fire Nation seal. 

“The Fire Nation has agreed to put this aside if you and Prince Zuko pretend to be best friends.” Sokka’s mouth dropped open. He hated the guy, how could possibly even pretend to be friends? “There will be events where you two are expected to act civilized and pretend to know everything about each other.” Hakoda handed him the envelope. He opened it to find lists of what Prince Zuko likes and enjoys to do.

“You two will show a united front between nations and relieve any worries of bad relations between the Sothern Watertribe and the Fire Nation.”

“How am I supposed to pretend I like him? He’s a blunt slab of wood.” Sokka pointed to a list at one of the likes. “His favorite author is the guy who wrote the Fire Nation history book." Hakoda looked him in the eye, face serious as could be.

“I don’t care if you continue to hate the guy, just smile for the cameras and, everything will be fine. There’s no getting out of this. Relations were already a little tense with the Fire Nation, the people are starting to catch on. This puts a solid front out for the both of us.” Sokka grumbled and stood up.

“Fine, I will pretend to be civilized and enjoy Prince Hot Head's company. We can be buddy buddy and braid flowers into our hair.” Sokka said with sarcasm dripping off his tongue. “Now excuse me as I have lists to memorize.” He passed Katara and Aang on his way out and headed to his room.  
—————————  
“Why can’t I just fake my death? It would be so much easier.” Sokka said to Katara, going over the lists on his bed. It was quite dull and seemed to be very unproblematic. Nothing of Zuko’s interests would make anyone particular hate him.

“Dad already considered that,” Katara shrugged and pulled some water through the air. “Seemed a bit too convenient.” 

“Would have been more fun than this,” He grumbled. 

“Well, you're going to have to. Knocking the cake over has big consequences." She said and made a delicate slice through her invisible opponent. 

“He’s the one who started it,” Sokka crossed his arms. Zuko was the one who pushed him and, Sokka just grabbed him for balance. 

“The most interesting this about this guy is that he uses dao swords.” Sokka grabbed his boomerang and mimed the actions of fighting the dao swords. “Maybe we can actually fight sometime.” He swung the boomerang as if to deliver a final blow. 

“Now that I’d pay to see. You with your boomerang and sword up against Prince Zuko with his swords and firebending. It would be interesting.” She streamed the water back into her canister at her hip. 

“If I’m fighting Zuko you get to fight his sister,” Sokka countered. Princess Azula was not as active in the media as Prince Zuko but was still equally well known. She was described as terrifying and a little unhinged. 

“If Azula wanted to, I’d be up for it. It would be fun and good practice.” Katara mused. “We don’t hate each other so, it wouldn’t get out of hand.” 

“You guys and your magical stances can fight all you want, I want to challenge Zuko, and no bending can be involved.” Sokka wanted to see if Zuko could hold his own without the use of bending. It might make even a bit more interesting. Sokka turned his head to the sudden sound of footsteps coming towards him. His dad and Aang stepped into the room. 

“Dad, Aang,” Sokka nodded at each of them, “What's up?” Hakoda gave him a small smile.

“Pack up, you are spending a few days at the Fire Nation palace to get some good press with Prince Zuko.” Sokka frowned at the suddenness of the arrangement, he thought he had more time. “Aang is going to drop you off on the way to the Western Air Temple.” Aang wrapped his arm across Sokka.

“Boys trip before a few days of you being bored to death!” Aang exclaimed.

“Yipee,” Sokka moaned.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
The ride to the Fire Nation was good in Sokka’s opinion. Just him and Aang on Appa going across the ocean. They had fun laughing and making jokes but, Sokka could tell his mood was getting a little worse the closer they got to the Fire Nation. By the time Aang had dropped him off at the steps before the palace, he was scowling deep. None the less, he forced a smile on his face and headed up the steps. 

At the top, the entire royal family was waiting for him. Fire Lord Ozai stood out with his grand robes and, beside stood Azula with simpler more casual pants and shirt. Lu Ten and his wife Meilee stood together, further apart from the rest of the family. Zuko stood there in simple black pants and a red shirt that fit him well. Sokka could see some muscle on him. He briefly wondered where Iroh was then remembered he owned a tea shop in Ba Sing Se. 

“Fire Lord Ozai, Princess Azula,” Sokka respectfully bowed to them.   
“General Lu Ten, Lady Meilee.” He turned to Zuko, wearing a grand smile he went up and pulled Prince Zuko into a hug. 

“There are some reporters to your right, better get rid of some of that tension.” He whispered into Zuko’s ear. 

“You better not screw this up, water boy.” Zuko’s husky voice whispered back. Sokka patted his back.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“Let’s go inside for dinner, shall we?” Ozai gestured to the doors and headed inside, Azula following behind. Sokka walked beside Zuko. After the doors closed behind them he let his smile fall.   
\------------------------------------------------------  
“How are things going at the South Pole Sokka?” Lu Ten asked over the uncomfortable silence. Dinner was quiet, which surprised Sokka. Meals at the South Pole were loud, friendly, and warmed you up more than just physically. Dinner tonight, with the royal family left you feeling cold no matter how spicy their food was.

“Things have been good. Food has been plentiful and, spirits are high,” Sokka answered. 

That's great." Lu Ten commented. It went quiet again. He hated the quietness, families weren’t supposed to be quiet.

“How is the textile sector doing here?” He asked, trying to bring some more life into the room.

“It’s been flourishing, production levels have been the highest ever,” Ozai answered simply, not bothering to look at him.

“How has Iroh’s tea shop been doing Lu Ten?” He asked pointedly at Lu Ten, he seemed to want to talk more than anyone else.

“Father’s shop has been doing well. Zuko is there more often then I am though,” Lu Ten chirped and gestured at Zuko. Zuko looked surprised at the mention but quickly hid it.

“What do you do at the shop Zuko?” Sokka questioned.

“I’ll help around a bit, Uncle has been teaching me how to brew the best tea.” Sokka saw a slight smile form while talking about his Uncle. “Some would even say he makes the best tea in Ba Sing Se,” Zuko said with pride in his voice. Sokka hadn’t really met Iroh yet. He had seen him around but had yet to introduce himself to him. People generally like the Dragon of the West, he was a kind, old man. Kept his face out of the public though. Most could give you a vague description and that was it. Fire Lord Ozai on the other hand, had his face plastered everywhere with his title. Sokka thought it seemed a little self-centered, but who was he to judge a ruler of a sovereign nation.

“My brother likes his play toy of a tea shop. Hopefully, he will come back one day and realize his true spot in history.” Lord Ozai remarked. Sokka could guess that Ozai didn't approve of his bothers hobby. They never did seem to get along from what he had heard about from his dad. Why the previous fire lord decided to make Ozai the new fire lord was beyond him.

“That’s for Uncle to decide and only Uncle.” Zuko pointed out coldly to his father. Sokka suddenly felt like he wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Iroh has spent enough time playing around, he will come back to the Fire Nation,” Ozai said firmly. The heat of the room went up a couple degrees. Sokka tugged on the collar of his shirt. Zuko and his father were now caught eyes locked in a standoff. Sokka hoped dessert was coming soon.

“Whatever Uncle decides is his problem,” Azula cut in, breaking the standoff. The temperature went back down to normal. “Any news on the pursuit of the Blue Spirt vigilante?” The heat was down, but the tension still lingered. 

Lu Ten described the latest attempts to apprehend the Blue Spirt. Sokka glanced at Zuko, he seemed like his usual self if not a little red-faced.

After the meal was finished, Ozai ordered Zuko to show his guest to his quarters. Zuko nodded and motioned Sokka to follow. Sokka thanked them for the meal and caught up with Zuko, who was halfway to the door already. Silently, they walked to the far end of the palace. The walls held paintings and portraits of previous members of the royal family. The red and black colour scheme was kept through the entire building. They walked until they reached a set of large doors.

“We have a meeting with a hospital full of sick children tomorrow to show a united front to the public.” Zuko informed him, “good night Water Boy.”

“Goodnight Jerkbender,” Sokka smirked and opened the doors to his room. It was large and still had the usual colour scheme. Sokka wanted to higher an interior decorator. A large bed stood in the center and doors to a balcony on the opposite side of Sokka. He found his packed bag on the bed and put his pajamas on. His boomerang and sword were still in their cases untouched. Sokka put his boomerang on the table next to the bed and climbed into the covers.

He tried to fall asleep, but Sokka kept tossing and turning. Sokka was not used to being this hot all the time. In a fit of annoyance, he tossed the covers off and headed to the balcony. The air outside was cooler and a nice change. The moon illuminated the courtyard the balcony faced. There was a nice pond and garden in the center with sleeping turtleducks. A faint grinding sound to the east caught Sokka’s attention. He turned and looked around for the cause of it. On the roof, there seemed to be a figure dressed in black climbing the rooftop. Sokka squinted to try and get a better look. The figure had a blue face and two vague shaped lumps on their back.

“How tired are you?” Sokka asked himself and headed back inside to crash on the bed.


	3. Three swords collide (I’m trying to make original chapter titles but they might not be relevant to the story)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this one before my drivers test so wish me luck.

Breakfast was unsurprisingly the same as dinner, silent except for the chewing of food. Once Prince Zuko and Sokka finished, Fire Nation security walked with them to the children's hospital. Cots lined the walls with kids coughing or various appendages wrapped up. Nurses were helping some kids eat and cleaning them up. The head nurse approached them with a smile on her face.

“Prince Zuko, Cheif son Sokka we are honored by your visit.” She gave a bow. “The children are very excited to see you.” 

“The pleasure is mine, Sokka and I are very happy to be here.” Zuko shook her hand. “Security will guard the perimeter but will stay out of the children's view to not scare them.” The head nurse looked ecstatic and was almost bouncing on her toes. 

“Very well, you are free to mingle with the children.” She clapped her hands together and walked away back to her post. 

“Are we staying together or, are we going to separate?” Sokka leaned over and asked Zuko. 

“It doesn’t really matter. Near the end, we can grab a book and read it to the children together.” Zuko shrugged and walked over to the nearest cot. Sokka headed to the cots on the other side of the room. A girl with her left leg wrapped up pushed herself into a sitting position. 

“What’s your name?” Sokka smiled at the little girl. 

“Eyo!” She replied enthusiastically. Sokka pulled his boomerang from its sheath and pointed it at her.

“Want to see some booming tricks? ” Eyo giggled at the pun.

"Yes!"

He spent the next hour or so talking to each kid. Asking them questions and making them laugh. Sokka made sure not to leave a cot without a smile. The kid's faces were bright and rich with excitement. Every so often, Sokka would catch a look at how Zuko was doing and saw soft smiles as they talked. Their time was running up so, Sokka walked over to Zuko to read a story to the kids together. He was with Eyo, the girl Sokka started with who had liked his puns.

“I watched ‘Love Amongst Dragons’ a couple months back It's now my favorite despite the acting in it.” Eyo praised the play, eyes filled with glee. 

“‘Love Amongst Dragons’ is my all-time favorite. My mother used to take me to watch it,” Zuko agreed with a nod of approval. “Who was the acting troupe?” 

“The Ember Island Players.” Eyo wrinkled her nose at the name. 

“Oh man, Ember Island players butchers everything,” Zuko complained. “How about I send you some tickets to ‘Love Amongst Dragons’ with my favorite troupe when you get out? Then you can see the full beauty of the play.” 

“That would be amazing!” She leaned over and hugged Zuko. He was stiff at the touch at first before relaxing a bit. Maybe there was more to him than what Sokka thought.

“Alrighty, little miss, Zuko and I are going to read you guys a story. Got to steal him for a second.” Sokka announced. Zuko’s eyes went wide as he turned around to see Sokka. Sokka patted him on the back and started to head over to the books. 

“So play enthusiast? Didn’t see that in the package.” Sokka asked a red-tinted Zuko. Zuko bent down to the bookcase to see what titles were there. The case was filled with battered novels and picture books worn from the years of use.

“Father thought my opinions on different plays would be too controversial and not very manly for a Fire Nation prince.” Zuko shrugged. He ran his fingers over the spines of the books until he stopped at one and pulled it out. 

“The Cave of Two Lovers’ are you familiar with it?” He asked and handed the book to Sokka. 

“Ya, I read it a lot when I was a kid.” Sokka absent-mindedly flipped through the pages. His mother would read the book to him and Katara as kids. Sometimes she would sing the song that went with the story. 

“Me too,” Zuko agreed.

The nurses helped assemble the children into a circle around him and Zuko. Sokka sat down on the floor next to Zuko. 

“We're going to read to you ‘The Cave of Two Lovers’,” Zuko said and flipped the book open. Sokka saw Eyo with a smirk and looking between the both of them. 

“Two lovers, forbidden from one another...” 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sokka learned many things that week he spent at the palace. 

1) The Royal family was not as well put together as he thought 

2) Zuko was way more interesting than what the public was lead to believe 

3) Food was very spicy in the Fire Nation 

While spending time together doing stuff in public Sokka learned more of Zuko’s interest. His favorite book was actually “The Cave of Two Lovers” instead of the Fire Nation history book. He knew the streets of the Fire Nation very well for someone who supposedly spent most of their time in the palace or overseas. His favorite animal was turtleducks which, Sokka found out after catching him standing in the pond and feeding the baby turtleducks. After having lunch at an esteemed restaurant together, Sokka discovered Zuko’s favorite place to eat was a small shop that specialized in Erath Kingdom delicacies. They snuck off from the guards, still hungry after the tiny servings they had at the first restaurant. 

“Why this place instead of one of those fancy places?” Sokka had asked. 

“Do you remember when I went on that,” Zuko paused as if he was trying to find the right word. “Leave to discover more about other nations?” Sokka nodded, it was the only thing people talked about for a month straight. It seemed to be a normal journey for a young man, but it was the abruptness and how he got his scar a few weeks earlier that had everyone talking. Sokka had scoured magazines during the three years he was gone looking for sightings of the Prince. He wanted to be up to date on what his nemesis was up to.

“I spent a lot of time in the Earth Kingdom, especially Ba Sing Se. The food seemed homier there, especially in the lower levels.” Zuko answered his thoughts clearly drifting into other memories. 

They had left soon after as the guards were going nuts looking for them. Sokka had found Zuko more relaxed when he wasn’t near the guards or in the streets. As the week went on Sokka found himself taking a liking to the person he once considered his sworn nemesis. Zuko was not the blank slab of wood he thought he was. He found out that Zuko often wandered off from the guards to do something else and unwatched. The afternoon spent at a charity event showed how much he cared for his people. The packet Sokka had been given was bullshit and had almost nothing on what Zuko actually liked.

Every meal spent with the Royal family was the same. Quiet and only filled with cold words between the family. Zuko, Azula, Lu Ten, and his wife got along mostly fine but, Ozai seemed to draw conflict between everyone. Sokka decided he did not like Ozai at all by the end of the week, he was to put it lightly, an asshole. He was rude to the people who served him food and cleaned the palace. The days would go by filled with outings to the public to present a united front. Each day Sokka found himself liking Zuko more and more. Before he knew it, Sokka only had a day left before he went home.

“I have a friend that decided to come today. She will be around this afternoon,” Zuko told him as they sat in the courtyard together.

“That’s ok, at least I get to see proof you have friends before I leave.” Sokka lightly jabbed. 

“Of course I have more friends.” Zuko scoffed. “I have to spend my free time somehow.” 

“Are you sure you don’t spend it all the training?” Sokka poked. Zuko followed a rigid training schedule. 

“Haha, better than spending no time training.” Zuko bantered. This time Sokka scoffed.

“I train very hard at home! I’ve even spent time with the Kyoshi warriors training.” Sokka crossed his arms. The Kyoshi warriors were held with high esteem. They were known for their excellent skills and diligence.

“Oh, so you spent time in a dress and fans now?” 

“I learned a lot in that dress, and it was worth it!” 

“Let's see then, you and me. No bending, but all weapons are game,” Zuko challenged. Sokka smirked.

“You’re on Prince Hot Head.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They met back up in the training room. Weights and various practice weapons lined up against the walls with a few punching sacks hanging from the roof. Sokka noticed the various burn marks that covered every surface. Even the stone floor had burn marks on it. Zuko was standing next to a cabinet of sorts, getting ready.

“You guys roast marshmallows here often?” Sokka joked.

“This room is strictly for training and nothing else.” Zuko deadpanned, not getting the joke. 

“Right.” Sokka traced his hand against a large burn mark on the wall. There was a piece in the middle that was oddly shaped. The unmarked spot started at the floor and reached up a few feet before stopping at Sokka’s chest. 

_ I used to be that tall once, almost like someone threw fire at a small person... _

Sokka shook his head at the absurdity of the thought. Who blasted fire at a person while training? 

“Any rules?” Zuko asked, pulling Sokka out of his head. 

“Probably shouldn’t leave any marks or injuries, and the hair is off-limits.” Sokka decided and stood opposite of Zuko, sword raised. Zuko pulled his dao swords off his back.

“Let's begin.” 

They started circling each other, waiting for the first move. Sokka charged boomerang in one hand and sword in the other. He sliced down and threw his boomerang behind Zuko. Zuko parried his strike with his right and swung at Sokka with his left. Sokka dodged and looked for his boomerang. It was coming back towards Zuko’s head. Zuko turned to head to follow his line of sight and promptly ducked. Only to get the top of his head skinned. Zuko’s moves were graceful and practiced. He was stable yet looked ready to move at a moment's notice. Zuko lunged at him, aiming for his feet. Sokka jumped back and moved behind Zuko attempting to blindside him. Zuko turned and blocked Sokka’s blade. 

“For a bender, you're a lot better than I expected,” Sokka commented and parried Zuko’s comeback. 

“Bending doesn’t protect you from everything,” Zuko said and pushed against his sword until they crossed and in each other’s faces. Sokka could feel the heat coming off the fire bender and hear his slight panting. Sokka pushed back and shoved Zuko away.

“Well Jerkbender, looks like you’ll actually be a challenge to me.”

They continued on with jabs, parries, slashes, and dodging for a while. They each would attack but, the others would defend themselves with some ease. It was like a dance with steel. Zuko wielded the dao swords like an extension of himself. Sokka was similar with his boomerang. Metal against metal echoed through the room like a song. Sokka loved it. He never felt as alive in a fight then against Zuko. Sweat trailed down Zuko’s face, and Sokka could feel his shirt sticking to his back. Every attack and small smirk from Zuko was a challenge to him. Sokka loved challenges and beat everyone he faced. He would beat, Zuko too.

Sokka feigned a jab to Zuko’s right while going for his left with the boomerang. Zuko’s left was not as fast as his right. Zuko moved his blades to block Sokka’s, only to miss the boomerang. Zuko fell backward onto the floor, his swords clattering on the ground. With a smirk, Sokka raised the tip of his sword to Zuko’s chin.

“Ready to give in?” Sokka asked the pinned prince. Zuko’s eyes darted around looking for an escape.

“I got you pinned Jerkb-“ Sokka was cut off as his feet gave away. Zuko had swung his legs at his feet. Surprised by the sudden fall, he lost grip of his sword. Sokka raised his head to get up only to be stopped by his own sword.

“I don’t think so, Water Boy,” Zuko stood before him pointing the sword at Sokka’s throat. They stood there heavy breathing, neither wanting to move first. Clapping broke through the air.

“Impressive, but both of you are losers.” Sokka turned his head to the door. Toph was leaning causally, against the frame. She moved her foot in a circle and stomped it towards them. Sokka watched the rocks trail to Zuko’s feet and knock him over. His arms flailed trying to gain balance before falling over on top of Sokka. Sokka grunted at the sudden weight on his chest.

“Not again.” Sokka squirmed underneath Zuko as he tried to prop himself up. “Did you really need to do that Toph?” Sokka caught Zuko’s eyes as he still had him pinned to the floor. Zuko quickly averted his gaze with red-tinged cheeks, probably from embarrassment. 

“Hell ya I did,” Toph laughed and walked over. “Can’t let you guys forget whose the best here.” Zuko got up off of him and went to collect his swords, Sokka followed suit. 

'What are you doing here? Giving me a farewell before I go back home?" Sokka asked and sheathed his sword. 

"Nah, here to visit a friend." She replied casually. 

"Why would you come here to see me? You know I live in the South Pole." He questioned, confused. 

"For being a genius, you are pretty stupid Sokka." He looked back to Zuko, then turned back to Toph. 

"You guys are friends?!" They were the least likely to meet and, he doubted Zuko would have made a good first impression on Toph. He would switch back to the dry personality around the Fire Nation wealthy, it was his mask. Toph was loud and outgoing, she didn't seem the type to make small talk with seemingly dry Fire Nation Prince. 

"Good to see you Toph." Zuko walked over and shook Toph's hand. 

"You too Zuko." She punched his shoulder affectionately. "Ya, we met in _ interesting _ circumstances." She said the word with a knowing tone. 

"Don't suppose you'll tell me about the interesting circumstances, will you?" Sokka asked looking for more information on the two's relationship. 

"Nah," Toph smirked and headed back to the door. "Anyways dinner is being served, and I'm starving." Sokka gave a questioning look to Zuko who shook his head. 

"Maybe someday you'll learn," he said with a playful tone and followed Toph. Sokka shook his head and followed the two to the dining hall. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo Hoo were in for some ending angst here kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You a know a writer has no idea when to end chapters when each one keeps on getting longer and longer

The next morning, Sokka said his goodbyes to the royal family at the docks. A small fire nation steamship was going to take him back to the Water Tribe. Everyone was there except for Ozai unsurprisingly.

“General Lu Ten, lady Mailee,” he shook each of their hands. “I hope you do well, and you deal with The Blue Spirt quickly and easily.” Lu Ten had complained about the Blue Spirt several times throughout the week, they were slowly becoming a larger problem. 

“Goodbye, Princess Azula.” He shook her hand. They hadn’t talked much but, she seemed pleasant enough if not a little cold. Sokka gave a quick look around the docks to check for any reporters. A few fishermen were around but preoccupied with their work. 

“Goodbye, Prince Coal Ass, and may your play critique be the most insightful.” Sokka gave an exaggerated bow to Zuko. Zuko returned the gesture. 

“Goodbye, Sokka of the Icy Tundra.” Zuko mimicked and walked off to grab something.

“Wow, Sokka, very professional,” Toph snorted. “See you in a few weeks.” Aang, Katara, Toph, and he had decided to get together in Ba Sing Se to catch up.

“See ya Toph.” Zuko returned with a domed shaped box with a piece of fabric on top. 

“I got you something, so we don’t have to talk through our parents and security all the time.” He gave the box to Sokka a little nervously. Sokka lifted the fabric to see what was inside. A messenger hawk stood perched inside the dome cage. It was a lovely collection of red and white feathers with a cylinder on its back. 

“It's trained to send messages back and forth over a long distance. It will be easier to set up appearances and stuff,” Zuko explained and scratched the back of his neck. 

“Thanks, Zuko. I'm going to name him Hawky.” Sokka smiled proudly at the bird.

“Hawky?” Zuko questioned with a quirked brow.

“Yup, I’m your new owner Hawky.” He said to the bird, Hawky squawked in response. 

“Until next time.” Sokka waved to everyone and boarded the ship. 

—————--------------------------------------------

His return to the South Pole wasn’t a huge deal. The boat docked and, he headed home. It was morning so, most people would be busy anyway. With Hawky on his shoulder, he walked back into his home.

“Hey, Katara, Dad. I’m home.” Sokka yelled into the hut. Katara came out of her room.

“Hey, Sokka. Was it as boring as you thought it’d be?” She asked and eyed the bird.

“Yup, totally,” Sokka did not want his sister to know she was right.

“Just a bunch of appearances, nothing much else.” Katara shrugged and pointed to the bird.

“What’s with that?”

“That is Hawky. Hawky is now my loyal messenger hawk,” Sokka explained and petted Hawky’s head.

“Why would you need a messenger hawk?” She asked, face confused.

“To set up appearances and stuff more quickly. We can also get Hawky to send messages to Toph and Suki a lot quicker than a boat can.” Sokka nodded at his answer to reassure it.

“Okay, it better not poop on bed.” She grumbled and petted Hawky’s head.

“Where is Dad?” Sokka asked.

“He’s at a meeting with the other tribe elders. They have to decide new fishing routes,” Katara answered. “Dad also got official competition for Chief.”

“Who?” He wondered. For the first time in a couple years, someone wanted the position from his dad.

“Vake.” Sokka’s eyes widened in surprise. Vake wasn’t the most pleasant man in the tribe. He was a loud man and knew how to charm people. He had been steadily gaining influence the past year. His dad had thought he wanted to be the head of one of the chore sectors and direct some people around.

“Seriously, Vake?” He asked in disbelief.

“Yup, he announced it 3 days ago,” Katara nodded. “Claimed he wanted to bring the tribe into a new golden age.” She finished with a hint of sarcasm. Sokka shook his head.

“Any specifics or just a vague promise?”

“Nothing specific so far, just a lot about improving trade and relations with the other tribes.” Sokka frowned. Vague promises always meant the candidate as up to no good.

“Great, what has the tribe been thinking?” Katara sighed and rubbed her temples.

“It’s been split. Some people think Vake is going to be a promising Cheif. The tribe knows that relations with the Fire Nation were on the tense side. Your visit helped a little, but they still know.” She crossed her arms in annoyance. “Dad still has people rooting for him. They think relations will be fine as his children are good friends with important figures in the other kingdoms. They also think Dad has been doing great and why change that.”

“We should find more out on what Vake’s platform is. That way, we know what to expect from the competition.”

“How do you want to do that?” Katara asked. Sokka paused and thought for a moment. They could just roam through the tribe and listen to what the people are saying. Worst comes to worst they could hide beside Vake’s tent and listen to what he says. Hakoda wouldn’t be pleased with them though.

“We can just listen to what the people are saying while we do our chores. That way, we can get information and help around more.” They always did their chores, but with him being gone and Katara going with Aang to various places they had been slacking a bit. The whole tribe worked together to ensure everyone’s survival and health, and nobody was excluded from that.

“Sounds good.” Katara agreed.

“I’m going to go unpack then join a hunt.”

————————————————————————

The hunt he joined was quiet and cold. Nobody wanted to scare the animals off by talking. He hoped Katara was having better luck. By the time the group decided to grab some penguin, Sokka’s butt was freezing. He rubbed his hands together to try and get some warmth into them. He wondered if Zuko would be able to keep warm out here with his bending.

“One week in the Fire Nation and, you already went soft on us,” Bato said, shaking his head solemnly earning a few snickers from the group.

“I have not,” Sokka grumbled and picked up some rope.

“Don’t worry we’ll be back to the fire pits in no time. Then you can warm up and get nice and cozy to the fire.” Bato joked and handed him a penguin. 

“You try getting used to burning to death every day than suddenly coming back and freezing to death,” Sokka grumbled. He tied the feet together and slung the penguin onto his back.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bato grinned. Together they led the hunting group back to the tribe to skin the meat. Sokka hung the penguin on the rack and started skinning it. The men chatted amongst themselves, but it was only mindless stuff. Mostly about the weather patterns and how it would affect the hunts. Sokka snorted at the thought of Zuko plastering on a face that seemed interested in the conversation. Bato looked at him strangely and was about to say something before being interrupted.

“How was the hunt today?” A booming voice, Vake asked. Sokka looked up to see his wide smile that looked borderline forced. Vake was tall and lean. He had some gray hair collecting on his head.

“It was good. Just enough penguin for dinner and jerky,” Bato answered curtly.

‘Wonderful!” Vake boomed and scanned the room, Sokka could feel his eyes on him before he said anything.

“Sokka, good to see you back. How as your trip?” Vake asked in a fake-sounding tone. 

“It was good, did some friend activities and stuff,” Sokka said and peeled some skin off. Vake's face briefly contorted into disgust before morphing back into a smile.

“Wonderful! Its good to know that the relations with the Fire Nation are not as bad as we thought they were,” Vake subtly jabbed at him. Sokka picked the carcass off the rack and started to head out. 

“Its good to see you Vake, but if you will excuse me I need to get this to the cutters.” Sokka smiled and passed by Vake. 

“I hope the next trip goes well,” Vake called after him and went back to talking with the hunting group. 

“HOpE the nExT tRiP gOes WeLl.” Sokka mimicked quietly to himself and rolled his eyes. Vake was charming but, Sokka could tell it was fake. It was better than some politicians he met but not as good as Zuko’s. Zuko was the best at fake charm. If he could fool Sokka, he could fool anyone. He dropped the meat off the cutter's table and headed back to his hut.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ Dear Prince Flameo Man of the Fire Nation _

_ How do you feel about setting fire to annoying oppositions? _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Sokka, first son of Cheif Hakoda of the Sothern Water Tribe and chief of great hair  _

Sokka rolled up the letter and slipped it into the tube on Hawky’s back. 

“Alrighty Hawky to Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation.” Sokka declared and pointed in the direction of the Fire Nation. Hawky just stared at him. 

“Um, take the letter to Zuko please?” Hawky continued to stare. 

“SqUaWk squaWK SQuAwk?” Hawky squawked back and flew out the window. 

“Can’t believe that worked,” Sokka muttered to himself. He exited his room to the open area of the hut. Katara was sitting on the floor writing a letter to Aang. They kept a weekly letter system with each other. 

“Writing about how much you miss him and can’t wait to see him again.” Sokka poked and made kissing noises at her. 

"Could say the same to you. Oh, Prince Zuko, the distance between us is too far for me to bare. When will we see each other again.“ Katara swooned dramatically.

“I do not say stuff like that!” He scoffed, “ how did you even know I was writing a letter?” 

“Don’t think I didn’t hear you squawking,” Katara smirked. 

‘I’ll have you know-” 

“Sokka, Katara I’m back,” his dad cut him off. He walked over and hugged them both. “I missed you, Sokka.” 

“Air, air please?” Sokka begged as his Dad hugged even tighter and laughed.

“Good job at the Fire Nation Sokka. Everyone thinks your best friends now.” Hakoda praised him. “See the mysterious Blue Spirit while you were there?” 

“Nah, Lu Ten complained about him a lot though,” Sokka said. “Keeps on targeting the richer nobles and stealing their money. They keep on bothering Lu Ten about it and telling him to fix it.” 

“Serves some of them right. Bunch of greedy people who hoard their money,” Hakoda commented. 

“What's Aang up to Katara?” They fell into easy conversation. Sokka missed that at the Fire Nation. You could catch the siblings in some conversation but, even that seemed scripted. Anything around Ozai sounded like bricks talking to each other. Sokka hated it like the quiet dinners. He would take dinner with his family any day over the grand, silent palace. 

————————————————————

_ Dear Sokka of the Ice oblivion _

_ Lighting people on fire is very frowned upon and probably wouldn’t do you much good. _

_ Ps. _

_ This looks like you _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and Prince of The Only Braincells in this Nation _

Hawky arrived a couple days after he sent the first letter with a reply. There was a drawing of a baby turtle duck that did look like Sokka. He smiled at the signature. Sokka grabbed a pen and paper to write a reply.

_ Dear Zuko of the Bad Hair History Gang _

_ Somehow the turtle duck does look like me, although I have to wonder if you were calling me a baby. _

_ Also, I see your plans to become an Architect now. You and Toph going to dominate the business world? _

_ Sincerely, _

_ First Son Sokka, master of the boomerang and wooing woman _

Sokka included a clip from a magazine of him and Toph making a sand city. Sokka appreciated the intricacy of it. It had tiny buildings and streets just like a real city. He could even see and grand theater in it.

_ Dear Waterbaby of Stealing Most of the Palace Shampoo _

_ Toph did most of the work on that one, I just melted the sand into glass. I’m better at destroying stuff. _

_ Yes, you are a baby. You should have heard how high you squealed when that kid surprised you on the street. A new height of sound was discovered that day. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Prince Of Baby Turtleducks _

_ PS. _

_ You should have heard the maids talking about your shampoo consumption. It was atrocious. _

Sokka scoffed as he read that one. He was a man, a full-grown man spirits dam it. Also, he doesn’t use that much shampoo. It just smelt nice, relaxing and the showers were warm there.

In between chores, helping his Dad with the Chief election, and training Sokka found time to reply to letters from Zuko. They consisted of small jabs and little things about his day to day life. Sometimes he would mention Azula, and Sokka would compare the  _ joys _ of having a sister.

_ Did Katara also like throw her bending at you? _

_ I have been soaked way too many times to count.  _

The letters were mundane and fun. Zuko would send him a two-page letter ranting about the Fire Nation Noble that he had to sit in a meeting with. Sokka would send back various ways to subtly annoy the Noble. 

_ Dear Sokka Of the Many titles I am too Lazy To Write _

_ Father had decided to throw a party for the Nobles. It is incredibly boring. I have taken refuge at a table with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. Ty Lee says hello and is wondering when you will be coming back to “woo” me. You can tell me when your free and we can plan, but for now, you get to read me complain about the event. _

The letter went on for a page about the social intricacies of the party with the odd smudge in the paper. Sokka knew he didn’t have to read the whole thing, but he did anyway. Even though it was just boring politics, Zuko had managed to make it sound interesting. He described everyone in a theatrical way making it very dramatic. 

_ Dear Prince of Boredom _

_ What do you guys even do at the parties there? You just sit and talk and eat food for hours? You should come to one of the celebrations here at the South Pole. They are never boring and full of music, dancing, and just general fun. It’s going to be a few more weeks until I can go over. The next couple of weeks are family time then Katara, Aang, Toph, and I are spending some time in Ba Sing Se together for a week. It’ll be about a month I guess.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Sokka, King of awesome Parties  _

Sokka sent Hawky away with the letter and went out to find Katara. Katara usually tried to make herself extra busy this time a year. You could find her hours on end in the healing hut trying to help. He navigated through the huts and paths until he reached the healing one. As expected, Katara was using her bending to heal an older woman. She had fallen ill a few days ago. Sokka gently put a hand on her shoulder. 

“How long have you been at it?” Katara glanced up at him but didn’t stop. 

“Not that long, why?” She asked, focused on her work. 

“It’s almost dinner.” 

“Oh.” She put her hands down and stopped bending. “That’ll be it for today.” She smiled at the old lady and rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. She pulled a blanket over her body and got up.

“We should go get Dad.” Sokka nodded and headed out of the hut with Katara following him. It was a quiet walk to the elder's hut. People were bustling around them, but neither struck up a conversation. The sun had begun to set over the tribe casting shadows. People were finishing off the last of the chores around the tribe. As they passed, people gave hellos and greetings. The Elder's tent was a bit bigger than most. It had a large table inside that he and Katara used to climb on when they were younger. Muffled sounds of the argument came out of the Elders tent. It was his dad’s and Vake’s voices. Sokka looked at Katara for a nod of agreement. She did, and he got closer to the tent to listen.

“If we send more textiles to the Fire Nation we can gain more money Hakoda,” Vake said.

“Yes, but we need those textiles here. It takes weeks to go out and buy textiles from other Nations.” His dad sounded tired. 

“We can cut back on the use and to avoid over-usage we can put in a new system. People who pay for it get the products. We can do it for everything. You make money, and spend that money how you want,” Vake argued.

“That betrays our ideals and history. Everyone is equal and deserves the same things. Your idea could leave people in poverty.

” 

“We could be more prosperous. Our economy would be booming, and we could be on the same levels as the other kingdoms.” 

“No Vake, that system will lead to our downfall.” Hakoda finalized. Sokka pulled away back to Katara. 

“Vake wants a new economic system in place. Similar to what the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation have,” He repeated. They did have pretty good living places in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, but it was a stark contrast to the poverty houses. People would hoard their money as others suffered to get food on their plates. It was a horrible way to live. If Vake got the Cheif position he would have more say on how the tribe is run. With time he could change it entirely. 

“Dad would never allow it. The elders would never allow it.” Katara shook her head. 

“Let’s hope Vake doesn’t win then.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ Dear Icey Eyes  _

_ A month it is then. I could go to the Water Tribe instead of you coming here. Let’s just hope I don’t freeze to death. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Prince of not the South Pole, its very cold there  _

The reply came two days later. Sokka liked the idea of Zuko coming here than him going back. He could show him around and take him on hunting trips. Zuko would also help keep the fires going and the huts warm. The guy was a natural furnace. He could even teach Zuko how to ice skate then, go and get hot cocoa after. There was so much more they could do at the South Pole than the Fire Nation. Sokka couldn't wait.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner was quiet. His Dad and Katara sat silently eating their food. He didn’t blame them. Nobody wanted to talk at dinner today, it was an anniversary. Sokka hated the quiet but would hate it if they were talking like normal. The casual talk seemed like they were ignoring her. After he finished, he went to his room and laid on his bed. After five minutes of trying to relax, he got up and started sketching his air balloon plans at his desk. The lines were off and not straight, no matter how hard he tried. Frustrated he threw his pen. He leaned back in his chair. He glanced at Hawky, who was sitting on his perch. Maybe he could write to Zuko, he might get it. His mom was gone too. 

_ Dear Zuko, _

_ It was quiet at dinner today. It always happens this time of year. I hate it. It reminds me of the time after Mom died. Dinner was quiet for months and Katara would barely say anything. Dinner without Mom was painful so nobody wanted to talk. Now it gets quiet every year around this time. It feels wrong to be anything nut sad. I hate it. I hated dinner at your place too, nobody talked. I just hate the quiet now. I hate it I hate I hate it.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Sokka _

__

Before he could think twice about it, he sent it away with Hawky. He felt a bit calmer now. His feelings being written down. He wondered how Zuko would reply. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

His reply came three days later. 

_ Dear Sokka, _

_ I’m sorry. I know that words can’t do much to soften the loss. It’s going to be painful no matter what but the pain gets better. I promise. I’m not the greatest with words when it comes to feelings but I get it. It hurts and it aches and you just want to smother it. But it feels like if you try to be happy it’s like pushing her aside. It’s okay to let go. It’s okay to be happy. You are not forgetting her. Remembering her with happiness better than remembering her with an aching sadness.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Zuko _

The letter came with a drawing of two baby turtleducks in a pond. They looked happy and adorable. Sokka reread the letter five times. It was calming in a weird way, he felt a bit lighter somehow. 

He went to dinner that night and sat down at his usual spot. It was quiet. Sokka took a breath.

‘You remember when Mom used to read us stories before bed?” He asked. Katara looked surprised that someone had said more than three words. 

“Ya, she always did different voices for each character.” She smiled wistfully at the memory. 

“Remember the first time she read us the story about the hidden cave of lovers?” Katara laughed. 

“You were so annoyed at how dangerous the caves seemed.” 

“Ya, I was.” 

They spent the rest of the night bringing up their favorite memories. His Dad talked about how they first met, and katara would talk about the things she learned from her. It wasn’t so quiet anymore.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

_ Dear Zuko _

_ Thanks _


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It had been brought to my attention that I was giving Hakoda the wrong name and holy fuck I’m sorry. Ive also been going back and editing the grammar of the previous chapters and Id like to apologize for all the grammar mistakes. I start school this week so I probably won't be able to update that often.

"You kids have everything?" Hakoda asked like the worried parent he was. Katara finished handing the last bag onto Appa before answering. 

"Food, clothes, and money. That should be good. Were staying at Toph's place, so we don't need to worry about much else." 

"Do you have your boomerang Sokka?"

"Yes dad, boomerang never leaves my side." He walked over and hugged his dad. "We'll be fine Dad."

"I know, I know. Your still my kids and I still worry." He opened his arms for the other two to join in a hug. "Now come here so I can squeeze you guys to death." Aang jumped down from Appa's saddle and joined the hug. Katara got in between the two. Sokka enjoyed the warmth and tried to breathe normally. His dad finally let go and released them.

"Do not go and get banned from another theater, you hear me?" Hakoda told them sternly.

"We won't Hakoda, I promise to keep them out of trouble," Aang said with a smile. "Or just make sure they don't get caught." Hakoda chuckled. 

"If you can't, Suki will."

"Okay, I'll see you guys in a week." They all climbed on top of Appa and waved goodbye. 

"Bye Dad," Katara and Sokka called out in unison.

"Bye kids!"

"Yip, yip boy." Appa rose into the air and began the trip. They were going to stop at Kyoshi Island and pick up Suki before heading to Ba Sing Se. Suki had sent a letter saying she was free for the week and jumped on the opportunity when they asked if she wanted to go to Ba Sing Se with them. Sokka was happy to have one of his good friends go with them. They had dated when they were teenagers, but mutually broke up and stayed friends. He looked up to Suki, she was the leader of the Kyoshi warriors and respected by every nation. Suki was strong and smart. Sokka wanted to be like her.

“This week is going to be great. So many things to do, so many things to try!" Aang vibrated with excitement. His avatar duties had kept him busy lately. It was a good getaway weekend that everyone was dying for.

\------------------------------------------------------ 

They landed on the island at a beach close to the city. Suki was waiting for them, bags packed and ready to go. A few other Kyoshi warriors were standing near in their uniforms. Some kids were playing on the beach in the sun. As soon as Appa’s feet touched the ground, Sokka jumped off and ran to her.

“Suki!” Sokka pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. “It’s been a while.” Suki laughed and hugged him back.

“It has.” They let each other go with big smiles.

“Hey Suki!” Aang beamed and hopped off of Appa. Katara followed him onto the beach. 

“Hey Aang and Katara,” Suki hugged them too. “I see you guys can’t keep Sokka out of trouble, can you?” 

“As if anyone could.” Katara laughed.

“How have you guys been?” 

“Other than the whole cake crash fiasco, it's been good,” Sokka answered. Zuko would probably like Suki. 

“So, your best friend is Prince Zuko now? I’m hurt Sokka, what about us?” She asked playfully. 

“I’ll tell you more about it later.” Sokka scoffed.

“Let’s go guys! Ba Sing Se awaits us.” Aang grabbed Suki’s bag and headed back to Appa. Suki turned to the warriors to address them.

“I’ll be gone for the week. Delia’s in charge, so please respect her while I’m gone.” The warriors nodded in agreement. 

“Delia is only in charge because she is your girlfriend.” One of the girls joked. Suki blushed, and the warriors snickered. Suki had their respect and their friendship, which meant they were not afraid to tease their leader. Sokka loved the dynamic and aspired to get that someday. 

“That's not the only reason.” Suki huffed. 

“Are you sure about that?” Sokka teased, getting a punch from Suki. Laughter filled the beach. A girl stepped forward, presumably Delia, and kissed Suki on the cheek. 

“Bye Suki, have a good trip.” Suki smiled and hugged her tight. 

“I’ll miss you,” Suki let go and turned. “Come on, Sokka, I want to hear more about your new BFF.” Together they walked back to Appa.

“Wait till we are in the skies, it's little more complicated than that,” Sokka said low enough that only Suki could hear. 

“Thought so, could only hear you rant about him enough times to think different.” 

They climbed onto Appa and into the saddle. Aang grabbed onto the lead and raised it.

“Appa, yip yip.” Appa rose into the air and began their journey again. Suki waved to her girlfriend as the island got smaller and smaller. She sighed and turned to Sokka. 

“So, Zuko and the cake crash?” She asked. 

Sokka told her the story from the cake crash to the week he spent in the Fire Nation. He didn’t tell her about the letters. Those seemed private, and Sokka would never hear the end of it. 

“So ya, now I got to pretend we're best friends.” 

“Only you, Sokka.” Suki burst out laughing. 

“You’re not going to tell her about the messenger hawk he gave you, Sokka?” Katara asked in a teasing tone. 

“Om my god, he bought you a hawk,” Suki said before laughing even harder.

“Shut up,” a blush was slowly creeping up to his face. 

“Aww, he’s blushing,” Aang pointed out. 

“No, I’m not! It’s the wind!” Katara and Aang joined Suki, who was now lying on the saddle. 

“Come on guys!”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ba Sing Se was an interesting place. It had rings based on social class and a large wall to protect it from the outside. Sokka had heard that people from Ba Sing Se were a bit odd. They were always happy and praising the city. The last time he had spent more than three days in the city, he had started to see some cracks in the people. It was weird, but he couldn’t prove anything about the city. 

The Beifong family owned a home in the upper ring. It was fancy with a large lawn and dining room. There were more than enough rooms for everyone and a kitchen with everything you could think. It was a great place to get away for a week. They arrived in the evening around dinner. Toph was waiting for them with loads of food. Sokka’s mouth watered at the sight of it. They dug in eating way too much and having way too much end up on each other. Sokka had thrown some potato at Aang, who had thrown some rice back and it went downhill from there. Everyone had some form of food on them and were wheezing. Katara’s head was resting on Aang’s shoulder, Sokka had his head on Suki’s lap.

“Man, I missed this.” A soup covered Toph said blissfully.

“Ya, kinda sad we don’t get to do this as often.” Aang agreed. “I guess being an adult does have its downfalls.”

Sokka remembered when he was a teenager and wanted nothing more than to be an adult. Adult life seemed freer and easier. Now what he wouldn’t give to be 16 again.

“Jobs and responsibilities can do that to you.” He sighed. “Less free time and more work.” Everyone murmured agreements.

“It’s not all bad. Toph’s parents don’t baby her as much, Suki leads a talented group of warriors, and Aang gets more say in his Avatar duties.” Katara shrugged.

“I get to bring any of my ideas to life,” Sokka added. He was hoping to get his ballon plans up in the air in the next two months. His dad had let him have total freedom with his inventions after he turned 19.

“It’s kinda nice. I mean, I don’t get to see my friends as much, but it’s still good.” Suki said. “It’s nice.” Their heads shook in agreement, it was nice. Sokka got up and picked a noodle off his shirt.

“I’m going to go wash up then head to bed, goodnight guys.”

“Night.”

“Good night.”

He immediately headed to the bathroom and filled up the tub with hot water. Steam settled in the room and curled from the water. Sokka stripped and jumped in, letting the warm water relax him.

He wondered what Zuko was up to. Zuko had sent him a letter saying he was visiting his uncle for the next two weeks and wouldn’t get back to him as quickly. He wondered if he watching plays with his uncle or losing at pai sho with him. He said he was terrible at the game but always played with his Uncle. Sokka made him promise to teach him the game the next time he went over. He put Zuko in the back of his mind and finished his bath. Curling up in bed later did Sokka realize that Zuko never told him where his Uncle was. Wouldn’t it be funny if they met up in Ba Sing Se? He shook his head. It would be odd if Zuko was in the same city and didn’t tell him.

—————————————————————

The first day they took to the streets, walking around and seeing the sights. They got food from small stands that tasted amazing. A pawn shop they had found had trinkets from every nation. They were random things like a hat weaved from bison hair and a fish carving that had been supposedly carved by the moon spirt itself. Sokka liked the business of the streets and the variety of stores to browse in. He had found a green bag in one of the stores that were good quality and got one. 

Day two, Toph took them to a theater they were not banned from, and they watched “To the Moon and Back”. It was about a boy and a girl that fell in love, but the girl, in the end, had to sacrifice herself to keep the moon spirit alive. He was crying by the end and felt oddly touched by the story. Zuko would like to see it, Sokka decided. He would probably critique some of the dialogs but would love the special effects. Once they got back to Toph’s place, one of the Dai Li agents were waiting for them. They had asked Suki to attend a lunch with the King to discuss a security job with the Kyoshi warriors. Suki agreed but, wasn’t the happiest.

“It’s only lunch, it could be worse I guess.” She shrugged at dinner. 

“Ya but, don’t you think it’s kind of weird he knew you were here?” Sokka commented. They hadn’t told many people outside family and friends where they were going exactly. 

“The Dai Li keep track of everything in the city and report it to the king,” she waved it off. “It’s a bit creepy, but they claim they are preserving the cultural heritage of the city.” Toph snorted. 

“The Dai Li are more of a secret service than anything these days. Even my parents don’t know the full extent to what they do.” 

“Weird,” Sokka commented.

Aang and Katara had decided to do lunch on there own as a couple thing the next. With Suki being with the king, it left Toph and Sokka to their own devices. After pulling Toph away from scamming one to many scammers, they found a fountain to chill at. 

“Where do you want to get lunch?” He asked. People were bustling around with their own business, ignoring the two young adults. Sokka liked the feeling of being in the background. It gave him more wiggle room. 

“I know this great place. Its mostly a tea shop, but they sell some food items too.” Toph mentioned with a wide grin.

“Oh cool, what's it called?” He asked he trusted Toph’s opinion on good places to eat.

“The Jasmine Dragon.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The Jasmine Dragon was in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. It was an exquisite building with a stone walkway and a fountain before the entrance. Toph kept that wide grin the entire walk there. She must really love the place. Sokka let out a low whistle. 

“Pretty fancy Toph, how’d you find it?” 

“A friend of mine works here. His uncle owns the place.” 

“Must be pretty good tea if its up here.”

“It’s the best.” 

The inside was packed with customers and noisy with chatter. Sokka and Toph slid into one of the side booths. Sokka picked up one of the menus at the table.

“Ooo, they got a White Lotus Tile Tea. It says it suppose to have intriguing secrets.” Sokka read off. 

“It does have great secrets, you should try it,” Toph said cheerfully. He glanced up from the menu at Toph’s grin. It was starting to look a bit manically. 

“Ok then.” He turned back to the menu. He registered the waiter's footsteps approaching the table. 

“Hi welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, what can I get you?” The waiter asked. 

“Hi, can I get a White Lotus-” Sokka turned his head to see the person he least expected to be working in retail. 

“Zuko?!?!” He stood there in a waiter's uniform. By the panicked look on his face, Sokka didn’t think he knew about the meeting either. 

“What are you doing here Zu- hmph.” Zuko slammed his hand on Sokka’s mouth to shut him up. Patrons were starting to look at them weirdly. Zuko grabbed Sokka by the arm and hauled him up. 

“Hey!” He protested. Zuko dragged him to a back corner. He ripped open the door to a storage closet and shoved him inside. Sokka tried to shove some cleaning supplies to make room, and Zuko stepped inside and shut the door behind him. They were plunged into darkness. Sokka vaguely felt his hand touch something wet. Orange light filled the small place as a tiny flame rested on Zuko’s hand. He could hear Zuko’s heavy breathing, and their legs were intertwined.

“What the hell Zuko!” Sokka exclaimed. “Why are you serving tea in Ba Sing Se of all places!”

“It’s my uncle's shop, I help out sometimes.” He shrugged, he looked flustered.

“Why drag me into the closet after sticking your hand in my mouth?”

“I’m not Prince Zuko here. I have no titles. I’m just a person working a job, and I’d like to keep it that way.” He answered in a hushed tone.

“What the hell?” Sokka was more confused than ever.

“I work here as Lee, a simple peasant. When Uncle and I came to Ba Sing Se a few years ago we used different names. We got jobs, worked out way up the ladder, and now we have the Jasmine Dragon.”

“What?” Zuko sighed and used his flame-free hand to rub his temple.

“My shift ends at 3. Come back here, and I’ll explain more. For now, I am Lee, your waiter. Don’t call me Zuko.” He directed. Sokka nodded. He tried to shift his legs only to be stopped by Zuko’s legs.

“Kinda cozy in here,” He laughed. Zuko turned red, they were close and face to face.

“Sorry, I’ll get us out.” Zuko tried to turn to the door only to elbow Sokka in the gut.

“Hey!”

“Sorry.”

Zuko brought his fire hand forward to look for the door handle. Sokka quickly leaned away from the fire that Zuko was holding. His back hit the wall, and he lurched forward onto Zuko, who had just found the handle. They came tumbling out of the closet, this time Sokka was ontop of Zuko.

“Not again.” Sokka groaned and stood up. There were a few patrons staring and snickering at the two.

“Nothing to see here folks.” He waved them off. They eyed him suspiciously but went back to their drinks. Zuko got up beside him.

“Well  _ Lee,  _ better get to your job.”

“Um ya, so 3?” Zuko brushed off his apron.

“Yup, see you at 3.” Sokka headed back to his table, where Toph was grinning and sipping a cup of tea.

“You knew that would happen, didn’t you?”

“Why would I know that Lee, the tea server, and Sokka would end up like that?” Toph took a sip. “Nope, not at all.”


	6. Chapter 6

At three, Sokka headed back to the Jasmine Dragon to confront Zuko. It had been wracking his brain since lunch. Why would Zuko need an alias? Why would a Prince be working in retail? Why would Zuko shove him in a closet? The questions plagued his thoughts along with Toph’s maniacal grin. He would have to get back at Toph for that.

He past the fountain for the second time that day and headed inside. It was quieter with fewer people in the shop. A few elderly sat at the tables drinking tea and talking. He debated sitting down or just standing there until Zuko showed up. An old man with the Jasmine Dragon logo on his shirt approached him.

“Sokka, my nephew is just changing out of his uniform.” He said.

“You must be Iroh.”

“Yes. My nephew talks a lot about you.”

“He does?”

“Sokka this, Sokka that. Every time he visits me.” Iroh had a bit of a smirk while he said that. Zuko put a hand on Iroh’s shoulder.

“We don’t really need to talk about that Uncle.” He said slightly flustered.

“Ok then.” Iroh laughed, “have a good time boys.” He walked back to the kitchens.

“So  _ Lee,  _ where are we going,” Sokka asked he slung his arm across Zuko’s shoulders.

“Um, we can just stay here. There are not many people around.”

They walked to a table in the corner of the building and grabbed seats from across each other. Unlike usual, the bags underneath his eyes were uncovered. Zuko would put makeup on to hide them when he went out in the Fire Nation. They made him look tired and more worn.

“So, pretending to be a peasant, huh?” Sokka asked.

“Uh, ya.”

“Why?” Zuko fidgeted with the edge of the shirt before answering.

“We didn’t want anyone to know who we were. So we took on aliases and started working so we wouldn’t starve. Eventually, Uncle got to open up his tea shop up here.”

“Why the need to stay a secret?” Sokka questioned. It made no sense why a crown prince would keep his identity a secret.

“We didn’t want Father to know where we were.”

“That brings up more questions Zuko. Just start from the beginning.”

“Fine but this stays between us. Not a word to anyone.” He said strictly looking Sokka in the eye. Sokka frowned at the serious turn of tone.

“I promise not a word of you say will pass my lips.” He assured.

“Remember how I got the scar?”

“Ya, training accident with Azula.”

“Well, that was a lie.”

Sokka opened his mouth then closed it. Then opened it again.

“What?!?” Zuko gave a small laugh.

“Yup, Father didn’t want the people to know what really happened. It would’ve looked bad for his image.”

Why would have it looked bad for his image, Sokka wondered. Was it that stupid of an accident that it would have made the family look incompetent. Or did Ozai...

“Are you saying Ozai burnt half your face off?” He asked to hope to be wrong. The grim look on Zuko’s face was all he needed to confirm.

“What the fuck!?!” He half yelled. Zuko’s eyes quickly scanned the room and he shrunk in on himself a bit.

“Keep it down please, you can scream later.” Zuko shushed him.

“Why the fuck?!?” He exclaimed in a whispering. Zuko’s eyes drifted off and he folded his hands on the table.

“I spoke out against him in a meeting with his councilmen and other reasons,” Zuko said carefully. His shoulders were slightly tense, he looked older, more tired than a 22-year-old ever should.

“He saw it as disrespectful and order me to fight him as punishment. He had been angry with me the day before and that set him off. Father asked me to see him after the meeting. We argued. He screamed at me and raised his hand to my face.” Zuko’s eyes shut at the end. Sokka felt his blood starting to boil. Ozai was very messed up if he burned his own son. Sokka reached a hand across the table to Zuko’s folded ones.

“Are you ok?” He asked softly despite wanting to murder Ozai.

“Mostly,” Zuko shrugged, “It was years ago and Uncle helped a lot,” Sokka swore to himself to never use Zuko’s left to his advantage. He would also have to give his thanks to Iroh.

“I’m sorry Zuko.”

“For what?” Zuko’s face twisted into confusion.

“I was such an ass to you. I probably just made your life more miserable.” Sokka apologized.

“Well I was an ass to you too so, we’re even.” Zuko laughed a bit. “We were just kids too.”

“Sure but, I was still an ass to you up until a few months ago. I am sorry and, I will promise to be the most excellent person,” Sokka took his one hand and raised it in the air. “I, Sokka of the Southern Watertribe, promise to not be an absolute ass to Prince-.” Zuko pulled his hand down and laughed.

“Okay, okay I get it,” Zuko smirked. “Does that formal promise hold up when we end up in council meetings together one day.”

“Of course, I will stay true to my word until I die.” He said with a serious face before breaking into laughter with Zuko. The old men playing Pai Sho looked strangely in their direction before shrugging and going back to their game.

“So how often do you work here?”

“Every few months, I try to whenever I have time.” They fell into conversation about Zuko’s Lee persona. He tried to come as often as he could. He described the bitches of customer service but how it taught him stuff. He showed Sokka how to expertly pour tea. He told him about the obnoxious customers that come in and how ridiculous they sounded.

“Ahh yes, bring me a Jasmine tea in a porcelain cup,” Zuko ordered in a posh tone. “They talk like that all the time.”

“Jeeze, talk about a silver spoon up their asses.”

“Then they’ll go and complain that the tea is too  _ hot  _ and expect a refund.” Zuko ranted. Sokka snickered at the annoyed expression and tone Zuko was using. It was adorable. He liked listening to Zuko talk. He somehow managed to make the most boring topics sound interesting.

Eventually, Sokka found himself taking Zuko back to the Bei Fong house for dinner with the rest of his friends. Zuko had protested at first claiming he didn’t want to impose. Sokka had gently nudged him with the help of Iroh who claimed Zuko deserved a night out. The streets were slowly getting darker as they made their way. The light of the streetlamp brought out the gold in Zuko’s eyes. He walked the streets with complete familiarity, never falling behind Sokka. Zuko must go to Ba Sing Se more often than he thought.

“So, do you want to be introduced as Zuko or Lee?” Sokka asked before entering the home.

“Why would you introduce me as Lee?” Zuko considered, confused.

“Personal preference, mass confusion, maybe comedy?" His mind was reeling with possibilities. It would be hilarious. 

“What?” 

“We introduce you as Lee, humble tee server. And they’re going to ask,” Sokka raised his voice, mimicking Katara. “But you’re Zuko? You can then say, Who’s Zuko?” Sokka attempted to lower his voice to a low raspy sound.

“I don’t sound like that!” Zuko defended, “It'd be hilarious if Toph didn’t call us out.” Zuko was grinning and, his eyes shining.

“She’ll play along. She's going to find it funny.” Sokka grinned, matching Zuko.

“Let’s do it.”

Sokka pushed open the door to the house. The entryway was empty except for a few shoes. Everyone was back, probably getting dinner ready. Sokka turned his grin into a more neutral look.

“Hey guys, I got someone to meet!” He yelled into the doorway. Suki stepped into the room, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Holy shit is that-“

“Who’d you bring Sokka?” Katara cut her off. She entered with Aang at her side, their expressions matched Suki’s at the sight. Toph came in next but stayed the same.

“Guys, this is Lee. A humble tee server at this tea shop I found today.” Sokka presented. “Pretty cool guy, we hit it off so, I brought him for dinner.” Zuko gave a wave to the group. Toph grinned widely and came forward too and punched his shoulder affectionally.

“Lee! Good to see you. How’s the tea shop doing?” Toph played along, getting the joke. The other three stared dumbfounded at them., confusion rolling off in waves. Sokka bit his lip to stop himself from laughing.

“It’s been great. Business is up and customers are rolling.” Zuko commented plainly. Katara kept looked between the two trying to figure out what was happening.

“Sokka, that’s Zuko.” Katara pointed out. “Have you forgotten what he looks like?”

“Zuko’s visiting his Uncle right now, didn’t you know?” Sokka asked, completely innocent.

“Well, clearly he’s not. He’s right there.” Katara argued and placed her hands at her hips.

“Ya Sokka, it’s clearly Zuko,” Aang added. Sokka held his breath for the moment of truth.

“Who’s Zuko?” Zuko delivered perfectly. “I don’t know any Zuko's” 

Toph looked like she was about to burst. Zuko held strong with no signs of breaking. Suki was quietly standing in the back, mouth slightly agape. She had known Sokka long enough to get his pranks. Beside Katara, Aang’s confusion was slowly morphing into understanding.

“You’re Zuko,” Katara spoke slowly. “You know Prince of the Fire Nation?” Zuko shook his head.

“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Katara looked ready to murder him.

“But—“ She started before Aang put his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s nice to meet you, Lee.” He reached out and shook Zuko’s hand. 

“Can’t wait for you to hear more about you.”

“Aang, that’s Zuko, not Lee.” Katara tried to explain.

“I don’t know Katara, Zuko is visiting his uncle. How could he be in two places at once?” Suki questioned. “Nice to meet you, Lee. A friend of Sokka’s is a friend of ours.” Sokka wanted to kiss Suki and Aang for playing along.

“Come on, guys it’s clearly Zuko.” Katara tried but met with shaking heads.

“When’s the last time you looked at Zuko Katara?” Toph asked innocently.

“I-You- Ugggghhhh.” She threw her hands up and stormed out, defeated.

“I don’t know what you’re up to Sokka, but I’m loving it,” Aang said.

“I’m not up to anything. It's just my friend Lee, a humble tee server.” Sokka played innocent still. Suki shook her head.

“Come on Aang lets help Katara with dinner,” Suki said and headed out.

“See ya, Hotman.” Aang saluted and headed out. He still used the centuries-old greeting no matter what anybody told him. Sokka, Toph and Zuko remained in the front. They each gave each other a look before breaking out into laughter.

“Lee, that was perfect!” Sokka praised in between laughs. Zuko turned red and choked a bit. Must be from all the laughing.

“Thanks. Court face comes with its benefits.”

“I have never been more thankful for that stupid half-interested look.” Sokka patted Zuko on the back.

“I don’t know what the hell you guys are up to but, I’m living for it.” Toph wheezed.

After nearly choking a few times, they made their way to the kitchen. Katara was stirring soup rather forcefully and mumbling to herself. Suki and Aang were at the counter chopping vegetables to add to the pot. He made his way to the cupboard with Zuko following behind. He grabbed bowls and placed them in Zuko’s hand.

“We’re gonna set the table,” Sokka noted and reached down to grab spoons. He went for the napkins next and followed Zuko to the table. Zuko had been here before Sokka decided as he made his way without asking for directions. They started on opposite ends placing cutlery and dishes on the table.

“How often do you visit Toph here?” Sokka asked and placed a spoon.

“Anytime it lines up.” Zuko placed a bowl down, “It works out to every few months, I guess.” Sokka walked around Zuko and started to put down napkins with the spoons.

“Were you going to visit after we left?” He asked.

“No, I leave in two days.” Zuko placed the last bowl down. “I met up with her a couple of days before you showed up. Didn’t want to interfere with your guys getaway weekend.”

“The point of the getaway weekend was to catch up with my friends. You could have joined. You are my friend.” Sokka said and looked Zuko in the eye. Zuko turned a little red and rubbed the back of his neck.

“So, friends?”

“Yup, still get to make fun of you though.” Sokka joked. He would never be an asshole to him though. Asshole Sokka was off the menu.

“Alrighty, then Waterboy,” Zuko teased. Sokka would have retorted if didn’t Suki walked in with a plate of breadsticks. She placed them in the center.

“Sokka come and gets the drinks, and I’ll get the cups,” Suki ordered.

“Duty calls.” Sokka saluted to Zuko with a smile and followed Suki back to the kitchen.

“So, friends huh?” Suki asked in a suggestive tone that Sokka completely missed.

“Ya, friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie this is my least favorite chapter, didn't vibe with me


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of studying for math I give you this

The next day, Sokka dragged Zuko out of his house and took him along with the gang to an Earth bending match. Katara originally had been hesitant to go but soon agreed when Toph said she was going to challenge the winner. Suki and Aang were excited as Sokka was to watch people pummel each other for sport. He sat down with Zuko, popcorn in hand and cheered along with the crowd. The contestants put on a show of strength and brutality. Rocks were thrown, crushing walls and opponents alike. When The Boulder stepped into the ring, he shook Zuko excitedly. 

“It’s the Boulder Zuko, The Boulder!” Sokka squealed. He knew Toph was the best earth bender in the world, but Boulder held a special place in his heart. 

“I know who he is, Sokka.” Zuko laughed and tried to get Sokka to stop shaking him. 

“He’s just so cool Zuko! The technique, the muscles, the looks!” He swooned. The Boulder did have large muscles to match his large frame. You could see them from the stands. 

“Quit fanboying over The Boulder. We’ve only heard it enough times,” Suki laughed and stole some popcorn. 

“I don’t do it that often,” Sokka complained, stretching the bag away from Suki's praying hands. 

“Only every time we enter the Earth Kingdom. Oh, I wonder if I’ll meet The Boulder this time.” Aang mimicked and reached over Zuko to steal the popcorn. 

“Hey! You guys get your own popcorn!” He complained and put the bag in between him and Zuko. “At least Zuko doesn’t steal any.” 

“Wouldn’t taste as good. Stolen food always tastes better,” Suki confirmed. 

“Sure but, the prospects of your own accomplishments are always the best. Right Zuko, my only trustworthy friend?” Sokka said and reached for the bag to grab some to throw at Suki. He whipped his head around as his hand brushed against skin. Zuko sported a sheepish smile and a hand in the bag. Sokka gasped in betrayal. 

“Zuko! How could you? You have betrayed me!” Dramatically he fell back onto Suki’s lap with an arm across his forehead. The rest laughed at the show, and Zuko shoved the fistful of popcorn in his mouth. 

“Worth it,” he said muffled. Sokka laughed and sat up and grabbed the popcorn. He hunched over it protectively and turned his attention back to the match. The Boulder was in the process of dodging a rock being thrown. He jumped to the right and quickly performed a move and launched two rocks at the other fighter. The opponent dodged one rock but was hit in the stomach with the other. They flew back into the wall and were immediately knocked unconscious. The crowd roared and cheered for The Boulder. The Boulder yelled triumphantly, increasing the cheering into a thunderous echo. Sokka screamed along with them. 

“Who would like to challenge THE BOULDER!” The Boulder roared. Everyone in the group turned to face Toph, who was already getting up with a smirk. She stepped down from the stands into the ring. She morphed her face into a more innocent look. 

“I would like to challenge The Boulder.” She declared in a softer tone than her usual loud voice. Sokka knew that Toph liked people to underestimate her. The Boulder and some of the crowd laughed. Clearly, not everyone knew who she was. Anticipation grew from the rest of the crowd.

“And who are you, little girl., The Boulder questioned jovially. Toph smirked and took a stance. 

“The Blind Bandit.” She declared, a hush fell over the crowd. The Boulder looked slightly conflicted at the name. Sokka leaned over to Zuko and whispered in his ear. 

“The Blind Bandit was Toph's wrestling name back when her parents held her under lockdown.” 

“I know, I’ve seen some of her fights,” Zuko whispered back and took the opportunity to reach over into the bag. Sokka didn’t mind. 

“All right Blind Bandit, but don’t go home crying to your parents when you lose.” The Boulder finally decided, and the bell rang to start the match. Neither moved for the first few seconds. The Boulder took a step, and Toph made her first move. She knocked him off balance with a simple change stance. He wobbled then tried to throw a rock at Toph. She dodged and created a platform underneath him and slammed him against the roof. The Boulder fell back down with a mighty thud. Toph had yet to move from her original spot. 

“Not so tough now, are ya?” Toph claimed and locked The Boulder in rocks. The Boulder struggled, and the crowd cheered. Sokka hollered Toph's name and jumped up, pumping a fist in the air. 

‘

“Hell Ya! GO TOPH!” He whooped. Zuko snickered behind him and threw a piece of popcorn at him. 

“Calm down there Waterboy, you knew she was going to win.” 

“Doesn’t mean I won’t cheer them embarrassingly loud.” Sokka stuck his tongue out at him and turned back to cheering on Toph. She was standing in the center and receiving her reward. She absorbed the cheers with a smirk. The announcer handed her a trophy and shook his head. He was used to Toph's antics by this point. Sokka grabbed Zuko’s hand and pulled him up. 

“Come on, we got to go get The Boulder’s autograph. Aang you wanna join?” Sokka said excitedly. No matter how many times he managed to see The Boulder, he never was able to get his autograph. 

“Definitely!” Aang jumped from his seat, and the trio made their way to the ring. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After collecting Toph and The Boulder’s autograph, they regrouped with Suki and Katara and headed out to get dinner. The streets were slowly beginning to darken, but people were still out. Ba Sing Se was always alive during the night. They picked a medium-sized restaurant nearby that served a variety of food. People were eating, talking and enjoying the evening too, making it a bit loud. They picked a table in the corner and grabbed seats. 

“Did you see the way I kicked The Boulder’s ass after he called me a little girl?” Toph boasted, her trophy sat beside her in all of its glory. She had yet to stop talking about her win. 

“Ya, you were like, whoosh, and The Boulder was like, whattt?” Aang reenacted only egging Toph on. 

“Come on guys, we were all there, we all saw it.” Katara groaned from behind a menu. 

“Ya, but it was awesome. Even you have to agree it was awesome.” Sokka challenged. 

“It was.” She mumbled. She put the menu down and turned directly to Suki. “Are you coming to Winter Soliststs Suki?” 

“I think so unless something comes up, I’ll be going with Delia,” Suki said, also glad to switch topics. Sokka perked up at the mention of Winter Solstice. It was a huge celebration that the Water Tribes held every year. This year it was the South Pole’s turn. 

“Winter Solstice is going to be great!” Sokka couldn’t wait. It was a night of partying, fun and drinks. The first Winter Solstice Sokka had been allowed to drink had been a wild night. He woke up in a tree near the pavilion where the party was held. He had no memory of how he got in the tree, but the tree held a special place in his heart.

“Were any of the Fire Nation invited?” Katara asked. It would also be a night to smooth foreign relations over. His dad had mentioned inviting the Fire Nation royalty a few months ago. Celebrations always bring people together, he had said. Meeting foreign dignitaries was always the least fun thing at Winter Solstice. Sokka usually had to greet some dignitary from another tribe. 

“If we were, I haven't heard anything.” Zuko shrugged. “Don’t think Father would want to go anyways.” 

“Why don’t you come _ Lee, _ ” Katara invited. She still was mad at them for that. It was worth it.

“I’d love to.” Zuko was smiling excitedly like it was the best thing in the world. Sokka decided he liked Zuko’s smile. The waiter came by and took their orders and came back with their food. The table was filled with laughter as they ate their meal. Aang and Suki got into a competition to see how many dumplings they could each fit into their mouths. It was ridiculous, and their mouths were stuffed like squirrel toads. It was nice to be with the group again. He didn’t realize how much he missed this until then. Sokka figured they could do this more often after the Chief election was done. Maybe he could travel to Kyoshi and the Fire Nation to spend more time with Suki and Zuko. They had to leave the day after tomorrow. Sokka wasn’t looking foreword to it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day was simply a day to relax and just play games with each other. Zuko had to work unfortunately and couldn’t join them. Sokka started a Pai Sho tournament with Toph as the moderator. Toph never bothered to learn the game so, it was an interesting ruleset.

. 

_ “Sokka that’s an illegal move, Twinkle Toes now gets two extra moves.”  _

_ “Toph, that was perfectly legal move!” _

_ “Don’t question the game master” _

_ “You can’t even see the tials.” _

_ “Don’t question the moderator. You put me in this position, so it’s your own fault.”  _

After defeating Aang and Katara, he was now playing a final round with Suki to determine the winner. Aang and Katara had started their own game to pass the time. She sat across the table straight-faced, waiting for Sokka to make his move. He scanned the board for a good move. Suki put him in a tight spot and could win if Sokka didn’t make the right one. Time seemed to be moving too fast for his liking. He slid a tile across the table, hoping that it would be his saving grace. Suki dawned a smirk. He whipped down to the board as Suki slid her winning tile into place making a harmony. 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” He collapsed on the table in despair. Suki had kicked his ass. 

“And the winner is Suki!” Toph cheered. Suki bowed to the room. 

“As the winner of Pai Sho, my reward will be the losers taking me to the finest establishment in Ba Sing Se and pay for my meal.” She proclaimed. Sokka groaned. He loved Suki, but she would pick the most expensive place in Ba Sing Se. 

“As Judge, I claim this to be a fair reward.” Toph nodded, “To The Red Lagoon we go!” Sokka slammed his head on the table. 

“The Red Lagoon is pretty fancy, all the spices and food are imported from specific locations,” Aang commented. Their Pai Sho table was untouched from when Sokka had looked at it from the beginning. They must have scrapped the game and just talked. 

“It is fancy, supposed to have the best-steamed buns in Ba Sing Se.” Suki said, “The Earth King said it was a good place.” Sokka dragged himself out of his seat. 

“Fine fine, we’ll go to The Red Lagoon. I just gotta grab my boomerang.” Boomerang was in his room in a case. He grabbed it and headed back to the living room. 

“Where is this place exactly?” Sokka asked. It was obviously in the upper ring. But the upper ring was still a large place. 

“It’s about a 20-minute walk from here.” Suki grabbed her shoes. “Won’t take long.” Sokka sighed. 

“Lead the way.” 

—————-1—————————————————

The restaurant was packed when they arrived. Patrons had the same idea as them. It was a crisp building with no wear and tear on the outside or inside. At the entrance, a waiter was standing at a desk. 

“Hello sir, do you have any free tables right now?” Katara asked politely. The waiter shook his head. 

“I’m sorry Miss, there is no table available as of now. There will be one in thirty minutes though.” 

“Can you save the table please?” Katara asked and booked the table for them. They headed back outside. The streets were quieter in the Upper ring. Sokka liked the lower rings better. The lower rings had more life in them. 

“So what do you guys want to do for the next half an hour?” Aang asked. 

“Can we go shopping?” Sokka suggested. They only had two days left in Ba Sing Se. He had yet to get a souvenir. There was a nice small storage box that he had been meaning to get. He could put all his letters in it instead of leaving them on his desk. 

“We got nothing else to do.” Katara shrugged, “Where do you want to go?” 

“There are some shops a little ways down. We can browse and shop there.” Sokka explained excitingly. Shopping was a love of his. Sokka led the group down the street. It was slightly busier. People were in the clothing stores looking for the latest trends. Overpriced junk stores had scavengers in them looking for a deal. He headed straight for the junk shop. The store was empty despite the busy outside. It was filled with clean shelves with items on display. A map of the world was framed on a wall with cartography tools next to it. The whole thing took up the front display. A well-dressed man came out of a back room and quickly shut the door behind him. 

“Welcome to my shop. If you find anything, just give me a shout.” He smiled a bit too wide. “I’ll just be in the back doing...stuff.” His eyes darted back to the closed room he walked out of. He immediately walked back into the room and shut the door behind him.

“You think he’d be worried about us stealing something if he’s back there,” Toph said. 

“Probably just doing some inventory stuff. He seemed nervous though.” Aang shrugged. 

“He might have lost some inventory stuff,” Katara suggested. Sokka figured it was nothing to worry about and headed to the cartography display. The map was incredibly detailed. It had drawings of mountains and villages named all over it. 

“Look, guys! Mapmaking would be a dream with this set. It’s even got a built-in compass on the ruler.” Sokka gushed at the shiny display. Cartography was an excellent way to plan fishing routes. Bato had also mentioned upgrading their maps a few weeks ago. He eyed the telescope which, had significant magnification potential. 

“Are you going to buy it, or keep making bedroom eyes at it?” Katara asked innocently. 

“It’s a great set and-,” A muffled crash came from the back of the shop. He turned around to see if someone knocked over anything. Suki, Aang, and Toph were nowhere near the source of the crash. They all turned to the closed door. 

“Maybe he dropped something?” Aang suggested hesitantly. 

“He might be hurt, we should see if he’s ok.” Sokka walked to the back of the shop. Politely he knocked on the door. “Are you ok back there?” 

“Fine fine fine, just dropped some… stuff?” The shop owner laughed nervously. Definitely not okay, Sokka decided and opened the door. The first he noticed was the sword pointed at the shop owner's throat. No wonder he sounded nervous. The person holding the sword carried a large bag in his other hand. They were dressed in all black except for the blue mask they wore. It was a theatre mask from a well-known play in the Fire Nation. Sokka grabbed Boomerang from his back. 

“Hey, buddy stealing isn’t nice.” He accused. The masked person didn’t respond. They turned on their heel and bolted out the door in a hurry.

“Shit.” Sokka ran after them. They exited through a back entrance out onto the streets. Sokka followed in pursuit, plowing through the door and onto the streets of Ba Sing Se. the thief was already a far distance away from him. At some point, the thief had put the sword onto his back sheath. There were two swords on their back. Sokka wondered if they were like Zuko’s. The masked thief continued down the street and turned into a different ally. He swerved into the street, almost hitting a stand selling beads. Merchants still had their stalls open trying to get people to buy products. Tourists were out buying into the over-priced stuff. They were walking across the street, which slowed him down. Sokka was beginning to lose sight of the thief. The end of the street had a four-way intersection. He would definitely lose them there. In a last effort, he threw Boomerang at the thief, hoping nobody would get in the way. Sokka thanked the moon spirit as Boomerang flew smoothly. It hit its target cleanly knocking the thief down. Sokka cheered. A mass wave of people decided to enter the street at that moment.

“Excuse me, sorry,” Sokka couldn’t see the thief through the mass of people. People were getting in the way of his path and forcing him to stop. Finally, as the people cleared out Sokka spotted Boomerang on the ground. There was no blue masked person next to it though. He turned in a circle looking for them. They were gone. Sokka picked up Boomerang off the ground. A few feet away was a blue mask lying on the ground. He picked it up. The strap was broken and a crack was forming at the forehead. He flipped it over in his hands and frowned. It was the thief’s. It resembled a dragon and was a nice blue. 

“Sokka, what the hell happened! First, you said something about stealing then you bolted?!?” A worried voice, Suki, asked slightly out of breath. Katara, Toph and Aang ran up to them. 

“A guy was robbing the shop, I chased him but I lost him in the crowd,” Sokka explained. “Got him with my boomerang though.” 

“What’s with the mask?” Aang asked. Sokka flopped it over again so the front was facing him. 

“It was the thief’s. Must have fallen off when they fell.” Sokka hummed, “Didn’t pick it back up though, I wonder why?” Suki stared at the mask before looking at him with wide eyes. 

“Did the thief have two swords and dressed in all black?” Suki asked and grabbed the mask from his hands. 

“Uhh ya, why do you ask?” 

“Sokka this is the Blue Spirit's mask, one of the Fire Nation's greatest theaves.” Suki explained. Sokka remembered Lu Ten complaining about the Blue Spirit. Lu Ten had said the Blue Spirit stole large amounts of money and resources from the rich. There were no overly large purchases made so, Lu Ten figured they were saving it up for something big. 

“Holy shit, I almost caught the Blue Spirit!” 

“Almost caught?” Katara asked. 

“Ya, I knocked him down with Boomerang, but the street suddenly filled up with people. They probably used the chaos to get away.” 

“Weird. But what would the Blue Spirit be doing in Ba Sing Se?” 

“I dunno guys, I don’t know.” Sokka took the mask back from Suki. It seemed to be staring at him with dead eyes. 

_ I guess I found my souvenir from Ba Sing Se. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what next chapter is


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The transition to Watertribe sucks ass but the beginning was an absolute Bitch to write

After giving the Dai Lee, the group headed back to the Bei Fong residence. The Dai Lee was incredibly specific and asked question after question, after question. Sokka grew increasingly annoyed through the interview. You can only ask a man if they knew if it was a man or woman so many times. 

By the time they got back to the restaurant, it was near closing time. So, They grabbed some takeout and headed back to Tophs. Sokka got to keep the mask, the Dai Lee said it was worthless. He would hang it up next to his Balloon plans. 

The next day the gang found themselves packing to leave. Everyone scrambled around the house looking for misplaced items. Suki was looking for a misplaced fan that Aang had been using to cool down his soup. Aang was attempting to stuff as many Earth Kingdom snacks in his bag as possible. Katara was unsurprisingly mostly packed and helped Aang. Sokka was trying to figure out how to fit an intricate box into his bag. 

By lunch, they managed to find their way onto Appa and take off. They said their goodbyes to Toph and headed for Kyoshi Island. Suki was impatiently drumming her fingers on the saddle the closer they got to the island. As soon as they landed she was off, hugging her girlfriend and soon waving goodbye. 

The snowy hills of the Southern Water Tribe became larger as they became closer to home. Sokka could see people going about their day through the village. Kids were looking up at the sky and pointing them to their friends. The kids loved Appa, whenever Aang came with Appa you could find just about all the kids hanging around Appa after their chores. 

Appa slowly descended into an open field. The cold air nipped at his cheeks and Sokka pulled his coat a little tighter. Hakoda was already running towards them, eyes wide with glee. Appa landed on the snowy ground rocking everyone in the saddle. He grabbed his bag and jumped off immediately ditching the bag into the ground. Katara was close behind, landing beside Sokka. Dad wrapped his arms around him and he hugged him back. His Dad smelt of smoke and cooked meat. 

“You guys go hunting today?” Sokka asked and stepped back from the warm embrace. 

“Yup, we're making jerky.” Hakoda pulled Katara into a bone-crushing hug. “I missed you guys.” 

“Missed you too Dad.” 

“How was the vacation?” 

—————————————————————

Dear Zuko, The Man, the myth, the guy who Can’t stand bland Tea

How’s good old spicy land treating you? Stay warm while you can and prepare for freezing your ass down in the South. You’re going to love it here. 

Sincerely, 

The Guy Whose Already Mastered the Art of Staying Warm

The next week, Sokka spent balancing chores, working on his balloon and finding out what Vake was up to. He placed orders for the materials needed to build the contraption. It would take a few months to build but it would be worth it. A new method of transportation could change everything. 

As the orders were put in the feeling of Vake being up to something grew too. He had been cheerful, almost too cheerful about everything. It was almost as if he had an inside joke with himself. Every time Sokka was near him a knowing smile took over his face. Sokka wondered if he could knock it off. He had expressed his concern to his Dad but he told him not to worry. It would be fine. 

_ Dear Mr. Tea can’t Keep Me alive But This Bean Juice Can, _

_ Everything is mostly fine in “Spicy Land”. It’s not even that spicy. We even put less spice on the food during the week you were here. _

_ I will be fine in the South. It’s not that cold really. Over exaggeration is a gift of yours, truly. I’m now holding high expectations for the South Pole so better not disappoint.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ A Mother Fucking Heat Bender  _

Sokka scoffed and put the letter in the box he acquired in the Earth Kingdom. All of his letters were now in the box. 

_ Dear A Mother F*****g Heat Bender,  _

_ Didn’t expect such horrible language from a Prince, what will the royal court think now. Their own royal highness using such foul language tsk tsk. Fire bending is kinda useless for keeping warm. What are you going to do, keep a fire in your hand the whole time? Well, trust me your hands are going to be busy the whole time. I got plenty of stuff planned and you need both hands to do them.  _

_ Over exaggerating is my specialty. A gift given by the spirits themselves. The South Pole is an amazing man. We got snow, and more snow and even more snow!  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ The One Who Gets to Watch you Freeze _

_ Dear I can Withstand Cold but I Can’t Stand Mild Food, _

_ I basically lived on a ship for a while. I have heard things that would make your innocent ears bleed. Sailors have the dirtiest mouths.  _

_ I can’t wait for all the wonderful snow you described. Sounds like it’ll be a blast. I hope you’ll be waiting for me with warm arms, bearing gifts for his Royal Highness.  _

_ Sincerely,  _

_ Zuko _

  
  


Zuko arrived on the day of the party alongside a few guards. The ship looked out of place in the village. Dark metal amongst the wooden canoes made it stand out. Zuko descended down the plank thing with armed guards at his side. Sokka and Vake were the only ones to greet him as the tribe was preparing for Winter Solstice. Zuko was looking curiously around the land. Sokka couldn’t remember the last time Zuko came to the southern Watertribe. Judging by the lack of proper winter clothes, he guessed he hadn’t been to the South. Vake stepped forward to meet Zuko with his hand outstretched. 

“Prince Zuko, it is an honour to have your presence at the festivities.” Zuko shook Vake’s hand with a political smile. 

“The pleasure is mine Vake, my Father was curious about how your campaign is coming,” Zuko asked politely. Sokka knew the campaign was going well, a bit too well. 

“Now we don’t discuss this in front of the opposition's son now.” Vake joked, he knew the campaign was going well too. Sokka was surprised he didn’t take the opportunity to rub it in his face. 

“Of course. Good to see you Sokka.” Zuko reached out his hand for Sokka to shake it. Sokka hugged him instead with a pat on the back. Surprised, Zuko took a second to hug him back. 

“Good to see you too buddy.” Sokka gave him a grin. “Come on man, I got plans for us before the celebration.” He had plans alright, one, in particular, involving Aang and the kids in a certain field. It was first on the list. 

“It’s a pleasure to see you again Vake, I will see you later at the celebration.” Zuko turned to the guards. “You guys are free to settle and explore the Southern Tribe, I’ll be fine.” He turned back to Sokka, a real grin was sneaking into his face. “Let’s go.” 

As the guards went their ways, Sokka gestured towards the tribe and started walking. Zuko was next to him, breathing heavily despite only walking. Sokka watched as Zuko exhaled and stared at the fog coming out of his mouth. It was like a little kid. 

“Not down South that much Fire Prince?” Sokka snickered. He remembered learning about how the air out of his mouth turned into the fog when it got cold. He couldn’t stop looking at it for weeks. 

“Does Fire prince give you any clue?” He exhaled harder, it looked like white clouds. “It’s been a few years but this always interested me, can’t do this in the Fire Nation.” Zuko turned and exhaled right into Sokka’s face. Instinctively, he shut his eyes from the fog. 

“Can’t do that either.” Zuko laughed at the assault. “What are we doing anyway?” 

Sokka double checked where they were. It was the outskirts of the tribe on the path to what was dubbed as the kids' playground. It was mostly snow forts and an impressive tower Sokka built when he was younger. He and the kids made sure the tower stayed intact year-round. 

“We’re going to meet up with Aang and Katara to do some official celebration stuff,” Sokka said vaguely. 

“Official célébration stuff,” Zuko raised a brow, clearly at the odd wording. 

“It’s a surprise, I’ve been working on it for a couple days in between other stuff,” Sokka explained and turned around a bend. He’d been working on it with the help of Katara and the kids. Water bending was extremely useful and made the process go a lot faster. The places were set and the strategy was in place. He couldn’t wait. 

“Do I get any more information about the surprise?” Zuko asked, squinting at the field in the distance. 

“Nope.” The tower was visible from the distance where they were. As they got closer the white mounds of snow became more discernible shapes. Walls of snow were on opposite sides of the field with various small coverings in between. It appeared that no one was in the field beside the two of them. 

“Where’s Aang and Katara?” Zuko asked, eyeing the field suspiciously. A single ball of snow flew through the air hitting Zuko square in the chest. 

“What the-.” Zuko sputtered, staring at the snow sticking to his jacket. 

“SNOWBALL FIGHT!” Sokka hollered and ran for cover leaving Zuko in the war zone. Kids popped out from behind their defences armed with snowballs of their own. Screams ran through the field as the snow flew through the air. Some managed to make it over the other side, hitting their targets. Sokka ran to the middle of his defence to where Aang was. Aang was throwing snowballs with all his might and possibly with a little air bending. He high fived him and collected snowballs of his own and joined the fray. Sokka climbed up onto the side and looked over the wall.

Zuko was running to the other side, peppered with snow. Whatever snow hadn’t made it to the other side made it onto Zuko. Katara was leading the other team, mostly just encouraging the kids. Both sides were mostly made up of kids and a few other teenagers. It was a tradition. 

As the war went on, the snowball supply was running low. Production was a slow process with a few kids using basic bending to get the snow to stick together. Sokka was covered in snow. He had seen Zuko pop up a few times over the wall and land a few well-placed snowballs. One had hit Sokka in the face. The war zone now held kids doing face to face combat. No one was safe. 

“Hey Aang, get some kids together. We’re going to storm Katara.” Sokka asked Aang who was working on making more snowballs. Aang nodded. Sokka threw the last ball in his stash and ducked down from the wall. Aang was telling kids to arm themselves and grouping them up. 

“Alrighty kids, we're going to storm the other team's fortress. Be the warriors you are and make the other team eat snow!” The kids cheered. “Now half of you follow Aang on the left and everyone else follows me on the right. NOW LET'S DESTROY THEM.” 

“CHARGE!” Aang cried out and ran out of the defence wall. Sokka ran out the other side giving out a war cry. The children screamed along to making nearby birds cry. Snow rained down on them from the other team but they continued on. As they got behind the fortress they saw the chaos. Kids were scrambling for cover as Aang and Sokka’s side assaults peppered them with snowballs. Some were making dramatic deaths and flopped to the ground. Katara and Zuko were at the center defending themselves. 

Sokka weaved his way through the mass of children to get a better shot at Katara. Steam was making its way off of Zuko. They were too distracted to notice him. Aang was now leading the offence. Katara was mostly focusing on the attacks from Aang while Zuko was defending her back. Sokka lined up his shot. He took a deep breath and launched the snowball. It flew through the air in a graceful arc. He watched it descend with glee. It landed its mark right on Katara’s head. Katara fell to the ground. 

“YES!” Sokka cheered, pumping his fist in the air. Katara had won last year, he had only returned the favour. He was about to celebrate when a ball hit him directly in the face. Snow obstructed his vision. 

“AVENGE ME!” He cried out to his team and fell to the ground. He wiped the snow out of his eyes to see the fall of Katara’s side. Zuko had his hands raised in surrender at the circle of kids armed and ready to throw. Cheers broke out. Sokka pulled himself up and headed over to gloat about this victory to Katara. 

“Looks like I win this year.” He smugly nudged Katara, who was scowling at him. “It’s just a snowball fight, right?” She gave him a light shove and groaned. 

“Using my own words against me, isn’t the defeat enough?” She asked. Katara had told him the exact same thing at last year's fight when he lost. The defeat would never be enough from the embarrassment of losing last year's fight. 

“I even gave you Zuko and you lost. Besides its siblings right that I get to never let you forget this.” Sokka claimed. Katara just groaned. 

“Technically, you lost too when Zuko nailed you on the face.” She pointed out. Zuko was currently shaking snow out of his dark hair and talking with Aang. 

“Ya but Aang avenged me and Zuko surrendered, so I still win.” He argued. 

“That means Aang won, he was the last to survive.” Katara shot back. She was just as stubborn as he was. They could debate for hours about who won. 

“Ya but, Aang was under my command. I won.” 

“Aang won, you died giving him full command back.” 

They continued to bicker about the winner until laughter cut them off. Aang and Zuko were the ones laughing at them. 

“Guys it’s a snowball fight, who cares who won?” Aang said. “It’s just about dinner anyways, we don’t have time to decide who won.” 

Sokka shot Katara one last look. She stuck out her tongue. 

“Fine, only because there’s a plate of smoked penguin seals calling my name.” 

—————————————————————

The celebration was just beginning by the time they made their way to the main gathering area. Food was piled on tables surrounded by people. Barrels of wine had been cracked open and people were downing cups. Dignitaries from the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation were slowly getting drunk and soaking in the celebration. Drums created a steady beat bringing people to their feet. Sokka was bouncing on his toes. 

“This is not what I expected,” Zuko said, mouth slightly agape in surprise. If the Fire Nation parties were as dry as the one Zuko wrote to him about, Sokka was about to blow his mind. 

“This is just the beginning man, wait till Bato whips out his flute after a couple drinks.” Sokka grinned, Bato had insane skill. “Come on, food is calling us.” 

He made his way to the Chef's table where his Dad was. Bato and several other of the Tribe leaders were next to him, cheeks a little rosy. Sokka sat himself down next to his Dad and immediately started piling food on a plate. Zuko sat next to him and joined in on the food. 

“Hey Dad, have you seen Suki?” Sokka asked in between bites. Suki usually showed up early and joined in on the snowball fight. 

“She’s over there with Delia, talking to Vake.” Hakoda gestured to the opposite side of the room. Suki was in full Kyoshi garb along with Her girlfriend. He wondered how she ended up having that unpleasant conversation. 

Conversation weaved through the room as the general meal went on. Sokka found himself and Zuko a glass of wine. It was from one of the first barrels so it was rich and smooth. As the night went and people became drunker, cheaper stuff would be offered. It didn’t matter what the wine was like once you were too buzzed to care. 

Eventually, he and Zuko found Aang, Katara, and Suki and made their way to the dance floor. Masses of people surrounded them doing their own thing to the fast beat. Sokka wiggled his body in his own interpretation of dancing. Zuko was staring at him strangely and not moving. 

“Dance Zuko, dance!” He shouted over the music. He looked at him helplessly and started doing a one-person box step. Sokka laughed and stopped Zuko from embarrassing himself entirely. 

“No no man, like this.” He grabbed Zuko’s hips and started moving them, showing free dancing. Zuko turned crimson and started moving along. He must have been a lightweight if he got flushed so fast. 

“There you go man, you’re just as good as me,” Sokka said proudly and stepped back. 

“Anyone could be better than you Sokka.” Katara laughed. 

“Hey!” It was true he was a shitty dancer, but he wasn’t the worst. Zuko just had the advantage of being graceful because of his swords. 

Feet stomped to the beating of drums, drinks spilled on the floor as the night got tipsier. The moon slowly made its way into the sky as slowly as alcohol made it into his stomach. The dance floor became busier and busier as people joined in. At one point Sokka found himself a foot away from each of his friends. Aang managed to get a group of people together and taught them a 100-year-old traditional Air Nomad dance. Sokka found himself stumbling through the steps trying to stay with the fast beat. Laughter filled the room. 

“Hey Sokka, come with me.” Zuko pulled him out of the crowd and out of the celebration. 

“Where are we going?” He asked as they made their way outside. The cold of the night made Sokka shiver slightly. 

“Have you ever tried Fire Whiskey?” Zuko rubbed his hands together. From what Sokka could tell they were making their way to the Docs. 

“Uhh, no. Why?” Zuko smirked and only continued to walk. Sokka shrugged and followed along. It was silent outside, no one was around. Zuko took him to where the Fire Nation vessel was parked and climbed on board. He leaned over the edge of the ship. 

“Well come on up, we don’t have all night.” 

Sokka made his way up the side of the boat. The metal was cold to the touch even though Sokka’s gloves. He gracefully flopped over the side and rolled onto the deck. A dim light covered the deck from a lantern. He squinted trying to find where Zuko went. The door to the cabin opened up with cream and out came Zuko with a bottle in hand. 

“Best Fire Whiskey there is, the crew keeps some on hand for longer journeys.” He popped the cap off and took a swig. “Want some?” 

“Dam Fire Prince, not so much of a goody-two-shoes I see.” Sokka grabbed the bottle from Zuko’s hand. The label held true to Zuko’s word. He tilted the bottle back into his mouth. Sokka was used to the burn of alcohol but nothing had prepared him for Fire Whiskey. Immediately he started coughing. 

“Not so tough now Waterboy.” Zuko laughed and took the bottle back. He easily took another sip. 

“Show off,” Sokka mumbled, Zuko only laughed. 

As the cold slowly became less harsh and the bottle slowly emptied they made their way back to the celebration. He was definitely drunk now. The night became a blur of dancing, eating and jokes. He and Aang ended up in a dance competition at some point which ended in both of them on the floor in a fit of giggles. Suki and her girlfriend ended up doing a combination of slow dancing and moves from Kyoshi Island. Sokka spent a lot of his time showing Zuko his moves and steps to any group dances that played. 

the moon was at the highest point in the sky and green waves of light danced across. Children had gone to bed but all the adults stayed. A slow beat had started and all the couples were dancing in closed arms. Aang, Katara, Suki, and Delia all took their respective partners. Sokka sat with Zuko on the side taking the time to catch his breath. 

“Crazy night huh?” He asked. 

“Ya,” Zuko answered, staring at the couples dancing. He was slightly frowning with a soft expression. Sokka followed his gaze to where Suki and Delia were dancing next to Aang and Katara. They looked comfortable. Zuko abruptly got up. “I’m gonna go and get some air.” 

He was gone before Sokka could say goodbye. His foggy brain was trying to process what just happened. Maybe he was lonely and the couples just reminded him. If he remembered correctly he did break up with a long-term term girlfriend over a year ago. But he and Mai had stayed friends. 

A new fast echo of drums brought Sokka out of his brain. It was back to a lively dance from everyone. Katara was motioning for him to come and join them. He got up and joined them, figuring Zuko would be back soon. 

Sweat broke out on his face as he moved in sync with Suki. He learned the moves years ago with her and they still managed to do it nearly perfectly. Bodies passed by, he vaguely remembers his Dad giving a speech at some point. The room was becoming a blur. He stumbled off the floor and sat down again at a table. Shutting his eyes he leaned back in the chair taking a breath. 

He realized Zuko had yet to come back. Getting up he scanned the room for a brooding, dark-haired guy. He squinted at a black haired shape on the other side of the room. It wasn’t him, not pretty enough. He must still be outside.

So Sokka headed out into the cold. The moon illuminated the night in a hazy glow. Or that was just Sokka’s drunk brain. Fire Whiskey was strong. He rounded the tent passing nobody, much to his displeasure. Frowning he expanded his search closer to the woods. Snow crunched under his feet as he went around again. The tree he woke up in years ago was up ahead. He smiled fondly at the memory. Katara had dumped water on him giving him a rude awakening. He passed the tree and a figure up against it. 

Zuko was leaning against the trunk staring up at the sky. The pale curve of his jaw stood out against the darkness. The gold of his eyes seemed the brightest they’ve ever been. He seemed lost, his lips pressed in a thin line. 

“Hey man, you been here long?” Sokka asked. Zuko turned to him and a thousand emotions crossed his face.

“I guess,” Zuko said absentmindedly. He gave Sokka a smile. “The lights are pretty.” Sokka looked up at the stars and the lights. His mom has told him the lights appeared when the Spirits came out to play. They were still pretty but he tended to forget how beautiful they really were till someone pointed it out to him. 

“Ya, guess you don’t have any in the Fire Nation.” Sokka mused. Zuko liked to dance around his emotions. It confused Sokka when he realized that Zuko was run by them. “Why’d you leave? Were you lonely from seeing all the couples dancing?” He asked, figuring it'd be better to get right to the point. Zuko frowned. 

“Not quite that simple.” He stood up off the tree, eyes still on the sky. “Ever wonder why the Spirits cursed you with a great destiny?” Sokka blinked trying to process the question. His brain wasn’t quite up to par and it was the opposite of what he was expecting. 

“Uhh, no?” He tried. Zuko was getting philosophical, only sober Sokka could deal with that. Sober Sokka would be way better to handle this. 

“It’s just, you’re given this destiny for greatness and it sounds great when you're a kid. Everything’s great and then you get older and you start to realize you can’t have certain things, certain people.” Zuko ranted. Sokka was still trying to process the first question properly. “And then you see other people have what you can’t and you ask yourself, why can’t I have that?” 

Maybe Zuko was just lonely and couldn’t date the girl he wanted to. 

“You’re a prince, can’t you just date whatever girl you want?” Sokka asked. Zuko looked at him funny, eyes lingering on his face. Did Sokka have seal jerky on his face? 

“For being as smart as you are I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out yet.” Zuko laughed bitterly. “I just want what Suki has.” 

“A loving relationship and the leader of an elite group of warriors?” Zuko shook his head. Sokka tried to push through the brain fog and figure out any other reasons. 

“A nice dress?” He knew it what stupid but the answer was out before Sokka could shut his mouth. Zuko looked ready to throw him. 

“Fuck Sokka, you’re a dumbass.” His mind was going around in circles. He wasn’t that much of a dumbass, he was just-  _ oh _

Zuko was kissing him. 

His brain short-circuited and he froze. Zuko’s lips were on his. Kissing. It was warm and soft. He liked it. He started kissing back and the temperature suddenly went up a few degrees. Somewhere in the back of his head, he registered that Zuko had his arms around him. He leaned in and the kiss deepened, his tongue brushing up against Zuko’s. A noise escaped Sokka’s throat as Zuko pushed him against the tree trunk. Kissing Zuko is nothing like kissing girls. It’s different and warm. 

Suddenly the warmth is gone and so is Zuko’s arms. His eyes are wide as if he had just done something horribly wrong. 

“Fuck, fuck fuck fuck, shit. Sorry!” He exclaims and is gone before Sokka can get a word out. Sokka slides down the tree and onto the ground trying to work out what just happened. Lights dance across the sky and he thinks he faintly hears laughter. 

“Holy fuck.” 


End file.
